Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Step1
Clue in your residents. Let them know that destruction or theft of furniture will not be tolerated. Instill in your resident students a sense of civic responsibility: let them know that furniture charges raise their room and board rates. Get everybody interested in protecting their communal property. Post a furniture etiquette check list in a prominent place and include it in any manuals that summarize dorm behavior.
Step2
Do walk-throughs. Form committees to police the halls of the dorm. Monitor the rooms of the dorm periodically to make sure nothing is broken or missing.
Step3
Draw a map for each floor and pinpoint where each piece of furniture is located. Make changes as furniture is moved, added or replaced. Check the furnishings onsite against that map every month.
Step4
Use web cams to monitor public rooms. Install these in places where they can't be seen. When a dorm furniture theft occurs, you may be able to see whether it's an outside thief or just some resident students acting up.
Step5
Post signage. Let potential thieves know that someone is watching and looking out for the welfare of the furnishings. Make your signs are bold, but don't make the language aggressive. An extreme sign might actually be a challenge to thieves.
Step6
Have each student "adopt" a piece of public furniture. For example, one student will be responsible for checking and cleaning a couch in the visitor's lounge.
Step7
Stay involved with dorm life. Don't just police the dorm, cultivate connections with students to include them in the dorm's culture. This will help you deal with any incidents that might occur.
