College Replaces Maids Sooner Than Expected

At least two additional Houses--and probably more--will lose their maid service by next September, Arthur D. Trottenberg, Operating Manager of Houses and College Dormitories, announced yesterday.

Unusually high attrition of maids and more appealing weekly student jobs have caused a speedup in deconversion of the cleaning system to heavy duty "dormitory crews."

The old porter system has been completely revamped. "Dormitory crewmen," earning $1.15 per hour, replace the porters of the last few years, who earned $.85 hourly. The cleanup crews will neither make beds nor dust, but will be concerned solely with cleaning floors and bathrooms in what Graham R. Taylor, Director of Student Employment, described as "heavier, rougher cleaning."

Large Waiting List for Jobs

The former 2:30 p.m. deadline on cleaning the rooms has been extended until 4 p.m. to help "dormitory crewmen" who have late classes.

These more appealing work hours wages, and employment conditions have already created a large waiting list at, the Student Employment Office, according to Miss Gladys M. Fales, supervisor. "We could staff all the Houses with dormitory crews right now, but, of course, we must wait until there are fewer maids," she said.

The increased hourly rate for cleanup men is in part a reflection of budget conditions in the Department of Buildings and Grounds. Because of the five percent raise in room rents and the reduction in the number of maids, more money has been made available to spend on porters.

Over 50 maids who had been with the University for less than a year were released this summer. Many others, because of old age and sickness, retired. Still others, uncertain about future employment here, sought work elsewhere.

"Wet" and "Dry" Crews Clean Weekly

Each student on the new dormitory crews will work ten hours per week, rotating from House to House and from entry to entry throughout the week. At present only Winthrop and Lowell Houses, as well as the Yard, are serviced by these groups.

A "wet," and a "dry" crew, according to Trottenberg, will enter each room once per week. The dry crew will be concerned with dusting and sweeping the floors, while the wet crew will spray and rub down all porcelain surfaces in the bathrooms.