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Coming Up One Roll Short

By Aliece McNair
Black College Wire

Graphic credit: David Morris

When non-traditional student Omega Smith of Rocky Mount, N.C., decided to begin taking classes at North Carolina Central University in Durham, she knew she’d have a lot to worry about — running her real estate business, raising her three children and a long commute.

But one thing she didn’t think she’d have to worry about was finding toilet paper in the Farrison-Newton Communications Building.

“This is primarily where I am . . . in this building,” said Smith, a mass communication junior who takes most of her classes in the communications building.

“There’s hardly any toilet paper in there, ever,” said Smith. “All of that falls on Housekeeping.”

Smith is not alone: Mass communications senior Christopher Jackson said finding toilet paper in Farrison-Newton is hit or miss.

“It depends on what day of the week you go,” said Jackson.

According to Marvin Hobbs, supervisor for food and lodging inspection for the Durham County (N.C.) Health Department, illness quickly spreads without toilet paper.

E. coli and fecal oil grow on toilet seats under warm and moist conditions. Feces from toilet seats on hands transferred to food makes people sick.

“You may get fever, diarrhea maybe, you may vomit, you may have cramps,” said Hobbs. “That’s why we use toilet paper, to keep things off our hands.”

Students have also been complaining about the absence of toilet paper in the residential halls.

“They really need to supply us with a reasonable amount,” said Michael McKoy, a music education freshman. “Even when Housekeeping comes, they don’t supply us with enough.”

It’s an ongoing problem, according to Deron Blackwell, Housekeeping's dorm supervisor.

“We’ve been having this problem for years,” said Blackwell. “The big people ask us why we spend so much money on toilet paper.” Blackwell has been with Housekeeping at North Carolina Central for seven years.

According to housekeeping staff, there are two reasons for the problem.

“Y'all students are taking it,” said Blackwell.

Blackwell said she was amazed by the audacity of some students.

“They’re walking in . . . like they paid for it, and walk back out,” he said. “I’ve seen them walk down the hall with it.”

Kimbular DeWitt, a housekeeping supervisor for Residential Life, says it’s a serious — and costly — problem. Dewitt filled the position on Sept. 6.

“If the toilet paper’s gone, we got to put it back,” said DeWitt.

“If we have . . . excessive ordering, excessive use, it’s going to come from somewhere,” said DeWitt. “It’s going to eventually catch up with you. If you want to keep your cost down, you don’t waste things. Never take the attitude, ‘Because I paid for it.’"

But housekeeping supervisor Tyrone Wilson has another explanation.

Wilson says there’s enough toilet paper to go around. “That’s one of the things I do have in the warehouse, is toilet paper,” said Wilson.

Wilson said the staff often fails to refill the dispensers in the classroom buildings.

He explained that housekeepers have a checklist for the work they complete, but that they sometimes check it carelessly.

“We’re remapping our whole department so we’ll have more accountability from the employees and what they’re doing in the buildings,” said Wilson.

Aliece McNair, a student at North Carolina Central University, writes for the Campus Echo.

Posted Sept. 25, 2006; updated Oct. 6, 2006.