An unknown suspect, or suspects, defecated in the Dixon House and the Cabrini Apartment Complex recently.
On the weekend of Jan. 25, human feces was left in the ground floor bathroom of the Dixon House. Along with smashed Christmas ornaments scattered in the common area and a large tree limb obstructing the main entrance, the feces filled the bottom floor with a “horrible, almost unbearable stench,” according to Gina Bocelli, a sophomore Dixon House resident.
The housekeeping department cleaned up the mess and repaired the broken toilet paper dispenser found near the scene.
Duana Gonzalez, the first housekeeper to clean the bathroom after the waste was removed said, “My boss cleaned it up and put it in a bag. It was bad. After it was in the bag, he told me that I could go clean the bathroom again. It still smelled bad.”
Residents of the Dixon House lost all visitation rights and will be fined for the damage to the house and cleanup of the feces.
“I don’t think that we should have to pay for someone else’s poor judgment,” Quincy Adam, a sophomore, said. “Living in [the Dixon House] is turning out to cost more than it’s worth.”
The following weekend, the Cabrini Apartment Complex fell victim to a similar crime. In the third floor lounge of the upperclassmen residence apartments, human waste was found once again. This time located in a public sitting area and not a bathroom, the remote possibility of it being an accident was terminated.
Residents of the apartment complex are being issued the same fine as those in the vandalized house. Visitation rights for the apartments will not be restricted, however.
David Carpenter, director of residence life and student life, cannot put his finger on the motive for the crime and is still unsure as to whether or not the criminal or criminals are Cabrini students.
” I have a hard time understanding the behavior that would lead to something like this,” Carpenter said. “It’s not appropriate in our college or anywhere in our society, but someone is doing it. I would love to find who is responsible to get some answers.”
Carpenter does not believe for certain that the party or parties involved are associated with Cabrini.
“All in all, the students here are an exceptional group,” he said. “It’s sad that we have to live with things like this, and I hope it’s not a student here. If it turns out to be a guest, the residents are still responsible, but at least it wasn’t their idea.”
Public Safety is not formally investigating the cases and do not believe at this point that they are related. Although Public Safety does not handle visitation rights or similar citations, reports of the incidents have been filed and will be kept on record for future reference, if needed.
Charles Shaffner, director of Public Safety, commented that no investigation is underway and “no samples have been taken.”
Presently, the cases are being handled as public area damage, of which there is a clearly defined definition in the Cabrini College Student Handbook.
“Unless we have someone come forth and take the blame, there isn’t much we can do other than treat it as a vandalism case,” Shaffner said. “We expect students to assist us in finding those responsible so we can put an end to this.”
Residents of the Dixon House regained visitation rights as of Tuesday, Feb. 12.
With no potential suspects undergoing interrogation or promising leads, the case of the fecal phantom is still wide open. Meanwhile, residents of Cabrini may want to watch their step.
