In other houses, HUDS joined forces with superintendents to launch a campaign against other pests––in this case, student hoarders of dining hall silverware.

Before spring break, HUDS posted notices asking for “kidnapped” items to be returned. In Adams and Eliot House, those requests were accompanied by threats of fines for dinnerware found in dorm rooms during spring break room inspections.

HUDS Director for Residential Dining Rosemary E. McGahey said HUDS spends tens of thousands of dollars a year replacing dishes and silverware—including replacements for breakage and normal wear-and-tear—though she declined to provide a specific amount.

McGahey said the posters and threatened fines, which were never imposed, were intended to bring usable items back into circulation at a time when dining halls were running low on crucial items.

“We get a lot back at the end of the year, but it may be so stained or soiled that we can’t recover or reuse them again,” McGahey said.

One worker said maintenance staff often find garbage bags filled with dishes left behind in rooms.

The worker also cited health concerns, both for the students whose rooms house the dishes and for the workers who eventually have to clean the dishes.

When asked if the initiative worked, Adams House Superintendent Jorge Teixeira said, “It did, because no student was charged at the end of the year, and we didn’t find any dishes.”

“It was a big difference.”

—Staff writer Amit R. Paley can be reached at paley@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Eugenia B. Schraa can be reached at schraa@fas.harvard.edu.