Occupy McMaster was cleaned by MUSC staff

Staff cleaners were responsible for clearing out the Occupy McMaster area last week.

An investigation conducted by McMaster Security Services, prompted by a theft report, found that cleaners had thrown away furniture, blankets, promotional materials and other items from the couch space in the corner of the student centre.

According to Security Services Staff Sergeant Cathy O'Donnell, the area was cleaned as a result of a miscommunication.

Lori Diamond, director of the Student Centre's administration, confirmed that the directive did not come from her office. A supervisor of the night shift, she explained, had told employees to clean the area, but not to clear it out completely, when they asked about whether students were still using it. The employees mistakenly proceeded to throw away everything except the bookshelf and its contents.

Diamond explained that, although MUSC staff have the authority to throw away items left in MUSC, it is not in the philosophy of her administration to do so. Cleaning staff have mainly left the Occupy McMaster area untouched since it began residing there last November.

Members of Occupy have been rebuilding their presence in the space since they found it empty on the morning of Sept. 18, which was the day after the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street.