The Scandal of the University Boarding House
A war of words erupts over hygiene and management at the University of Washington boarding house after a student committee raises concerns.
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The trouble over the university boarding house is still brewing, and the reply of Mrs. Larsen, the landlady, to a statement made in the Post-Intelligencer by a committee of the dissatisfied students has called out a communication from the man cook she refers to. H.C. Crockett, who served as cook until the term closed in April, claims he found the place in bad shape and spent his own money to clean the kitchen, which he described as having a layer of grease and dirt nearly half an inch thick on the store room shelves. F. Otto Collings, a steward of the club the previous winter, noted that student complaints were constant, leading the University President to abandon the club system in favor of hiring Mrs. Larsen directly. Collings defended Mrs. Larsen, noting that the dissatisfaction seemed confined to a specific element of the students.
“I found the place in bad shape, but managed to do the work in a manner satisfactory to my employers.”
Campus boarding disputes remain a familiar feature of student life, highlighting the friction between administrative policy, private contractors, and student expectations regarding basic housing quality and affordability.
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