Chris Hertzog knows about dorm damage and the toll it can take on one's wallet.

Last year he was billed about $170 for damages occurring on his floor in an East Halls dorm. Damages ranged from broken mirrors and dismantled ceilings to furniture thrown out windows.

"Most of it happened on weekends and a lot was thought to be alcohol-related," said Hertzog (sophomore-aerospace engineering).

Most damages happen during the weekend and during the winter months when students feel "cooped up," said Jack Miller, assistant manager of housing services of South Halls.

Miller recalled a case where some male residents tore down the ceiling and smashed in the closet doors. The students were charged $531 for the repairs and replacement.

There are always two or three bad apples, Miller added.

Most of the time the person causing the damage is not caught and the cost of repair or replacement falls to the entire floor or building, which some students said is unfair.

"I could buy a car for all the damages I've had to pay for," said Anne Hoover (senior-elementary special education). "Other people do things and we get charged."

Don Arndt, director of Housing Services, said more significant damages occur during weekends, most caused by people who have been drinking.

"A small percentage of the people are responsible for the largest percentage of the damage," Arndt said.

Specific dorms cannot be singled out as primary sources of damages on a yearly basis, Arndt said. Particular dorms that cause significant amounts of damage change from term to term, he said.

One way to deter damages is for students to report incidents if they see them, he added.

Damage reports for the 1989-90 school year indicate damages for male dorms totaled $137,610.69, or $31.28 per resident. Damages for female dorms totaled $67,156.91, averaging $13.44 for each resident. Total damages for co-ed dorms were $41,946.55 with an average cost to each student of $17.09. A damage report of the 1990-91 year is not available yet, Arndt said.

Considerably more damage occurs in male dorms and can sometimes be attributed to peer pressure, he said. Some male residents suffer from "one-up-manship" -- they feel like they have to outdo one another, he added.