By Laura Hudson
Each year students return to their dorms hoping nothing is damaged or seriously wrong with their rooms. From broken washers and dryers to leaky ceilings, students say there is always something out of order.
Resident Assistants (RAs) say they do their best to take care of problems, but what occurs after they notify Residential Life, falls on the responsibility of the University.
When it comes to students getting results, the question is raised about who decides what problem gets fixed first.
“There’s a priority system when it comes to maintenance issues,” Christopher McKittrick, RA in Orange House in Netherlands South, said. “A broken bed will be responded to much quicker than broken Venetian blinds.”
The new school year also brought about a new system, which Residential Life believes to be more efficient. The new system requires students to obtain a Work Order Request Form at the Resident Security Representative booth of their dorm complex and submit a copy to the office. When the forms are collected each day, the Resident Director (RD), contacts the Assistant Complex Director (ACD) who then logs the concerns and follows the proper procedure.
“The departments are far more likely to come on a call from the ACD than a random student yelling into the phone,” McKittrick said. “It is important for students to take the steps outlined by the university; it’s the only way to get results.”
Most students haven’t haven’t had a huge problem getting results.
“We had a broken washer,” Rochelle Manelis, RA of Rensselaer House in Netherlands South, said. “I contacted maintenance and it was fixed within a week.”
Some problems are more severe than others and require more attention than a quick turn of the wrench to solve.
“I woke up one morning and felt water and looked up to see my ceiling was leaking,” Jessica Luis, a junior living in Colonial Square, said. “On top of that, the toilet wouldn’t stop flushing all morning.”
After putting in a call to Residential Life and Public Safety because her RA was unavailable, the toilet was fixed early that morning. However, it took a little over a week for the shingles to be replaced.
“There’s still water damage on the ceiling, and the plaster began to crumble when the maintenance worker tried to wipe it down,” Luis said. “They never patched it up, but at least it’s not leaking anymore.”
“We believe the new system is more efficient,” a representative of Residential Life said. “It allows the Resident Directors and Assistant Complex Directors to establish a greater priority over problems and allows them to attend to the emergencies first.”
When residents do find they have a problem with something in their rooms, RA encourage them to be as specific as possible when filling out request forms.
Students in the high rise buildings have another possible maintenance flaw to worry about getting stuck in elevators.
Junior Nicole Hawat, a resident in Constitution Hall, said that the elevators there have been getting stuck frequently.
“The elevator will move floor to floor, but the door won’t open and the person will keep going up and down,” she said.
Hawat said that the elevator will be turned off and when it’s turned back on, it will work for a few days and then break down again.
“Students should remember to be patient,” McKittrick said. “Don’t ask every five minutes about how the problem is coming along, but people should follow up if they haven’t heard anything. Chances are, it’s in the works.”