A Munger custodian found fecal matter stamped into a shower drain on Munger Hall’s second floor this past Monday, according to an email sent by a Munger RA.
The custodian first found tape blocking off a second floor shower without any signs and did not discover the fecal matter until stepping into the shower.
“I just kind of peeked and didn’t really see anything. I couldn’t really smell,” the custodian said. “It was because they smushed it through the [grate] and were hiding it. We had to throw the shower grate away.”
The custodian, who has been at Wellesley for nine years, felt disillusioned at students’ treatment of the shared area.
“My initial reaction was, ‘WTF’ exclamation points. Like, what are you doing? This is not how we coexist,” the custodian said.
This incident follows growing frustration about the cleanliness of Munger’s second floor. Since the beginning of the term, there have been multiple complaints about student mistreatment of common spaces in the building. Even before this year, however, the custodian had found fecal matter on the ground of the gender neutral bathroom.
On online platforms like Sidechat and YikYak, Munger second residents and other students described used menstrual products placed in communal spaces, minor flooding caused by showers left running, and kitchen sink drains clogged with food, prior to this incident.
“I think that it’s mostly the bathrooms that have been causing issues, as well as just general cleanliness with residents,” a Munger second floor resident Lauren Garcia ’28 said. “The famous incident was the used tampon in the kitchen on the counter, and the second one was that somebody stuck a pad—a used pad—on the inside of the bathroom door in one of the shower rooms.”
The Facilities and Residential Life departments were notified about the incident and are investigating, but first and foremost they stress the importance of students looking after their own living spaces.
“We are disappointed to hear about the behavior of some students. Living in residence means not only taking care of your needs, but also considering how your behavior impacts those living around you,” Dean of Residential and Community Life Brittany McDaniel said.
McDaniels hopes residents will take the responsibility of putting in the effort to improve the living conditions in the residence hall.
“Everyone has a responsibility in contributing toward a healthy, vibrant, and welcoming community,” McDaniels said. “This includes being mindful of your own actions, as well as talking to your neighbors whose behaviors might have a negative impact on others around them. We encourage residents to go to their RA, HP, CD, or central res life staff should they not feel comfortable addressing concerns directly themselves.”
Contact the editors responsible for this story: Lyanne Wang and Jessica Chen
