The policy implemented last fall that bans food and drinks from classrooms seems to be keeping student areas cleaner, university officials said.

"Things are getting better, but it's got to be a continuing campaign," said Paul Ruskin, communications coordinator at the Office of the Physical Plant (OPP).

The policy, which took effect Sept. 5, prohibits the consumption of food and drinks other than water in classrooms, and university officials said there has been an improvement in classroom conditions.

At its onset, some students criti-cized the policy, saying it was overreaching, unfair and unlikely to be monitored.

"I think there has been an improvement," Ruskin said. "We've had over the past decade a slow decline in the

cleanliness in classrooms. That decline is now reversing."

Conditions used to be pretty bad -- a student would walk into a classroom and newspapers would be scattered on the seats and floor, and candy wrappers and coffee cups would be left behind, Ruskin said. In some cases, carbonated beverages would be knocked over, spilling onto the carpet, making it a sticky situation and very difficult to clean, he said.

This presents the problem of having unhealthy conditions in the classrooms because of bacteria, he added.

Some of the major problems with littering were found in the general-purpose classrooms in Willard, Thomas and the Forum Buildings, he said.

"The classrooms that are left in a bad condition by lunch are used by the students in the afternoon. We want students to have clean conditions in their classrooms," Ruskin said.

However, some have not really seen a difference since the policy took effect or have been disregarding the policy all together.

"I can't say that I have noticed a change. Now and again, I've seen soda cans in Willard, in my classroom, but not a whole lot," Anthony Kaye, assistant professor of history, said. He added that he brings a bottle of water to class every day, which is allowed under the policy.

"I don't follow it. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to keep drinking coffee," Jess Sabato (freshman-film and media studies) said. Her professor had a cup of coffee in class today too, she said.

"I don't think anyone follows the rule," Joe Ridgway (junior-civil engineer) said. He said food and drinks are not as big of a problem as the amount of newspapers left on the floors of the classroom.

"I think when you walk around campus you don't see people littering because it is well maintained. As classrooms continue to get cleaner there will be more peer pressure against littering because of our program," Ruskin said.

"Our goal is to get our litter to zero," he said.