Director of Residential Life Kim Pacelli wants students to be creative when decorating their dorm rooms.
But this doesn't mean painting them.
"There are a few buildings with [dorm rooms] that are painted [by students]," said Pacelli. "If I had my druthers, I would change that."
Though painting the walls of a dorm room is explicitly against school policy, the College has had difficulty enforcing the rule.
A senior art history major who spoke with the Orient under the condition of anonymity thinks the official policy limits the artistic expression of students.
"I think it goes against Bowdoin's mission to forbid students to creatively express themselves in their own space," she said, adding that painting a dorm room can be an opportunity to be visually creative even for students not involved in the arts.
The senior painted a mural based on a Matisse painting in her residence as a sophomore, and was not aware at the time that it was against school policy, she said
"For me, especially because I'm [involved in the] visual arts, my room is my studio, so it's really hard not to have absolute freedom of expression in there," she said.
Director of Facilities Operations and Maintenance Ted Stam said that the primary reason for the policy is safety. He noted issues of fire safety, storage, volatile organic compound regulations, disposal, and ventilation as concerns associated with painting.
In order to take precautions, trained professionals contracted by the College do all of the maintenance work, including painting to ensure uniformity, quality, and safety.
"It would be unsafe if we had people doing [painting] work who weren't qualified," added Pacelli.
Another concern is that the College holds events over the summer that make use of the residences.
"We need to have a standardized room," Stam said.
In order to curb the amount of dorm room painting, Pacelli believes the main issue is finding the time to make the repairs.
"When we do address [the painting], we expect to keep it up," Stam said.
If a student is caught with a painted dorm room, a fine is typically levied on the offending student. According to Stam, the fine ranges from $100 to several hundred dollars, depending on the size of the room, the color of the paint, and other details.
Sometimes, however, students are not charged until after they leave for summer vacation.
Hannah Howe '09 painted the common room of her Stowe Hall dorm last year. Howe never heard anything from Facilities during the year, but was charged for damages when she didn't have time to repaint the room before moving out.
"I feel bad that Facilities had to go through that trouble," Howe said.
Residential Life and Facilities have taken steps to disseminate the current policy to students who may be unaware that such a rule exists.
This fall, fliers with Residential Life FAQs, including the policy about painting, were placed on the doors of all returning student dorm rooms.