Earlier this week, I dropped a box of crackers, spilling a mess of crumbs onto my floor. As someone who cares, perhaps too much, about tidiness, I immediately sought out a vacuum cleaner to remove the noxious foodstuffs. The first vacuum cleaner I found failed to clean up anything at all. In fact, I'm convinced that particular device made my floor dirtier. And I haven't been able to find another vacuum cleaner in my dormitory to even try. So I've now had a variety of crumbs laying on my floor for more than a few days, something that makes me quite uncomfortable.

As such, I began exploring the idea of buying my own vacuum cleaner. But because I like to buy quality, I have a hard time justifying such a purchase. Even a low-end Miele vacuum runs at least $300 or $400, which seems to me an excessive amount to spend given the size of my dorm room and the infrequency with which I need to vacuum. By my own rough estimates, I would spend less money by paying a cleaning service $20 a week to vacuum for me until I graduate, as opposed to investing in my own vacuum cleaner. Yes, I suppose such a device would probably prove useful for many years to come — the Miele Polaris I looked at comes with a seven year warranty — especially as I transition to a slightly less austere living arrangement.

But this really comes back to a more fundamental question: why doesn't the college provide the residents of its residence halls with proper, working vacuum cleaners? Do they want to encourage students to become slobs? The college has no problem providing all-you-can-eat printing on high-speed laser printers in the library and labs. I can't help but wonder why the College doesn't just provide or tack an extra $2 onto our already absurd "comprehensive fee" to give me the ability to clean my floor.