The theme house experience is interesting if you talk to the students. The houses are usually in disarray and falling apart. There’s a more optimistic view on the college Web site which states, “Simpson College has had the unique opportunity to convert several residential homes accommodating 4-10 students into exciting, thematic living options.”

Sounds quite a bit more glamorous than bats, bees and beetles, oh my! Asian beetles, that is.

While it’s no secret that many, if not all, of the theme houses could use a little TLC, what is unknown is why the college hasn’t fixed them up.

Yes, students will probably want to live in theme houses no matter what because there will always be someone who wants the six meal plan or hates the dorms.

But does that mean students living in the Performing Arts House have to deal with living in a slanty shanty? A couple broken screens or carpet spots are completely tolerable.

But sagging floors, animal and insect infestation and broken stairs are a little much.

It would improve Residence Life’s image with students if repairs were kept up. Campus Services is already overworked so until more staff is hired it’s hard to say whether that’s feasible. But is it so much to ask to not have a sinking floor?

Campus Services isn’t even allowed to fix everything that’s broken in the theme houses – it just sounds counterproductive.

The lack of upkeep on many of the theme houses is part of the overarching problem of under-staffing Campus Services.

With the purchase of new property and the expansion of Barker Hall, the number of staff is disproportionate with the repair needs of the campus, especially in the case of theme houses.