By Bianca Dinkha
Resident students have raised concerns about upkeep in the Coughlin, Power/Mazzuchelli, and Murray residence halls. Students often experience challenges related to plumbing and essential facilities such as bathrooms and washing and drying machines.
Junior Nikki Lomillo voiced discomfort with the cleanliness of the bathrooms.
“When it comes to our shared spaces like the bathrooms, it is disgusting,” she said. “With the toilets, nobody flushes. With the showers, there’s always hair in the drain. People don’t pick up after themselves.”
Additionally, Lomillo noted that plumbing issues are common in Mazzuchelli. She went a week without a usable sink and was not notified when it was repaired.
“Head of housing emailed me saying that I couldn’t use my sink for the week,” Lomillo said. “They said they would email me when it was okay to use. [Since then,] they never emailed me.”
Diamond Whaley, director of residence life, explained that University Operations, which handles facilities management, processes these tickets based on priority.
“Plumbing is something that takes a long time,” Whaley explained. “Some things that are easier to fix are addressed in that moment, and then we will schedule projects for times where we expect a low student impact.”
Freshman Fatima Cabrera was satisfied with the maintenance response times.
“I had to put in a request that our sink was clogged, and they got there within two hours,” she said. “They unclogged it in 30 minutes.”
Dan Opels, executive director of operations, explained that some plumbing issues stem from improper items being flushed.
“Our plumbing issues have come from things being flushed that shouldn’t [including] paper towels, wipes, and period products that clog the plumbing lines,” Opels said. “From there, our engineering staff shuts down bathrooms, so we can remove whatever is clogging the lines.”
Cabrera also shared her experience with the washing and drying machines breaking down. From Feb. 8 to 9, she said that four out of the six dryers were out of order.
“We have six washing machines and six dryers, but half of the time one or two don’t work,” she highlighted.
Freshman Alondra Correa faces similar problems while living in Murray.
“One thing I have a big problem with is the laundry machines because one of them is always out of order,” she said. “We have to go to other floors and hope that there is an available washing machine, which can be tough. I hope that the university can fix those washing machines because we all need them.”
Opels noted that students can directly report washer and dryer issues using a QR code system, which alerts the company responsible for repairs.
“They respond quickly; however, depending on the issue, it may take a day to repair,” he said. “The most important thing in keeping these machines operational is to check pockets before use. More times than not, a machine breaks down due to something forgotten in pockets.”
As students remain frustrated with recurring issues in the residence halls, they are left wondering if more can be done to address these concerns.
“If something affects you as an individual, they will reach out, but if it affects the whole mass, nothing happens,” Lomillo said. “I’d really like to see Residence Life reach out to students more often, rather than having us find out on our own.”
With students hoping for better communication, the conversation around residence hall upkeep is likely to continue. In response, Residence Life plans on introducing town hall meetings mid-semester, giving residents an opportunity to share their experiences and voice their concerns directly.
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