At the beginning of the semester, residents of the Gardens Apartments may have noticed something missing, namely, the flowerpot-esque ashtrays that once sat outside of the entrance to each building.
Where did they go? Broken and mangled by residents and their guests, the remains of the ashtrays were swept away by housekeeping. Andrea Andrews, the area coordinator, explained that “students pick them up and use them as door props.”
As a result, Andrews said that the plastic containers would break in half, spilling cigarette butts and sand across the building entrances as well as within the buildings themselves. Naturally, this presented cleaning issues for housekeeping.
The problem resulted in an email notice, which was sent to residents of the Gardens Apartments on Monday, Jan. 31. In the email, Andrews explained the situation and urged residents to refrain from using the ashtrays outside of their intended purpose.
Andrews added that the issue was more serious than a simple lack of places to put cigarette butts, but also a “security issue.” She explained that when the doors remain propped open using the ashtrays, locals and anyone else can simply walk into the buildings.
“Sad thing is, people steal quite often,” said Andrews.
Andrews urges students to keep the doors to their apartments locked at all times: “I think it’s ridiculous that students don’t lock their doors… anyone can walk into their apartment.”
Matt McCarron, a junior, disagrees with removing the ashtrays due to their use as doorstops.
“People have just been using other stuff to prop the door open,” he said. “Like lighters or cans.”
Without ashtrays, the mulch and foliage surrounding the apartments began to face an onslaught of cigarette butts. With no place to put them, students had no choice but to flick them onto the ground, resulting in hundreds of butts in the vicinity of the front doors.
“When an ashtray is there, people will choose not to throw it in the bushes, for the most part,” said McCarron.
In an attempt to solve the issue, the Office of Residence submitted a budget request to place larger, cement ashtrays at all apartment buildings, including North Village, for a total of 12 in all. However, Andrews cautioned that “they’re not a cheap thing to get,” and as a result, the Physical Plant is unsure as to when they will become a reality.
Until then, replacements for the plastic ashtrays have been placed at the doors to each apartment building. Andrews hopes that students will heed her warnings and refrain from using them as doorstops, and she explains, “My job is to make everyone safe, comfortable, and secure.” And she hopes to keep it that way.
