Following rapid increases in staff pay, the warden of Bruce Hall, Bill Packard, would need to reduce his cleaning staff to prevent a massive fee increase for students staying at the hall.

He said there would be budgetary deficit of $50,000 by the end of the year if changes were not made. The reduction in staff would require the students to pick up the slack and each spend two hours a week doing housework.

Upon hearing this news, the 220 students at Bruce Hall began figuring out ways to save money to ensure the budget was balanced without them having to do housework.

Students were served by waitresses during formal dinners, and rooms were cleaned and linens changed five times a week. These were both costs the students were considering cutting to to keep the budget balanced.

The chairman of the junior common room at Bruce Hall, Michael Lawry, wrote in the student newsletter: "This scheme is not a Packard plot, but a plan proposed by the Bruce Hall governing body, and approved by the University Council, to maintain the level of services and maintenance provided by the hall without increasing fees any further beyond the reach of the average student and also leaving the hall with expectations of a good level of income from external catering and conferences - hence subsidising fees."

The warden was asked whether the two hours a week of cleaning would actually interfere with the students' study, to which he responded rhetorically: "Have you ever been a student, sir?"

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