Some new changes hit the Residence Halls Association's movie rental offices during winter break - a new late fee policy, renovated offices and different store locations.
There are movie rental locations in five dorms on campus - Holden, Akers, Brody, Mason and Gilchrist halls.
Previously, students were charged $2 for each day a movie rental was late, and the fine kept escalating until it was paid, even if the movie was returned. Once the fine reached the value of the movie, it stopped rising.
Under the new policy, the fine stops escalating once the movie is returned, but if it is not paid by the last day of classes, the student is charged for the full value.
Adam Raezler, executive director of RHA Movie Offices, said a lot of the problems that came from the old late-fee policy stemmed from miscommunication.
"The problem is a lot of students didn't read the contract," Raezler said. "Then, when it comes time to enforce it, students get angry."
Because of the changes to the rental policy, students will have to sign a new contract to rent movies this semester, even if they signed one last semester.
Raezler said students have to initial each line item in the new contract, which he hopes will encourage more students to read it thoroughly.
"I don't think to be able to rent movies free all year, it's asking too much to have to read a page," he said.
RHA also relocated the Holden Hall office to a larger room and recarpeted and repainted its other offices.
Mike Klurfeld, an employee at the Holden Hall movie office, said he hasn't noticed a dramatic change.
"(The change) has been minuscule enough that it hasn't really been affecting our day-to-day operations. Students are just learning where we are," said Klurfeld, a humanities and pre-law junior.
The relocation hasn't changed the store too much, especially the high student demand for movies, Ambrose Lessard, a chemical engineering sophomore, said as he returned a stack of DVDs.
"There's still hardly any to choose from - they're always checked out," Lessard said.
Raezler said RHA's next goal is to equip each office with new doors that have built-in slots to return movies.
All but the Akers Hall office have been relocated to larger locations in the last two years, Raezler said. Although he was happy to help facilitate the expansion and renovation of the offices, Raezler said he doesn't expect to add any new offices.
It costs about $30,000 a year to run each office.
"Opening a new office would bring lots of issues and lots of expenses," Raezler said. "RHA could never afford it."
