2008 Woodie Awards
Facilities Management needs some fixing
Issue date: 10/22/03 Section: Editorials
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Anyone who has lived in on-campus housing knows the frustration of a leaky shower, a toilet that runs, ants in the kitchen and any other number of maintenance-related issues. The standard procedure for fixing these problems is to put in a call to Facilities Management and wait until they dispatch a worker to your apartment or dorm room. Most of the time, the response is timely and any issues are resolved without further action. As of late, however, the consistency of timely response has left much to be desired, namely when the area effected is communal and it is the University's responsibility to contact Facilities Management, rather an individual's.
Clear examples of this lack of much-needed attention are reflected by the sad state of some shower and bathroom facilities in the New South dormitory. In one set of showers, there are one or two working units out of six in the girls' room. Additionally, following a vandalism that left only one urinal in a boys' bathroom working, flooding (and the unsavory smells that accompany it) have made the bathroom virtually unusable and the areas near it unlivable for residents. Of course, vandalism warrants penalty and regrettably, many residents who were not involved were forced to pay a considerable fine for repairs. Weeks later, however, no further action has been taken, as the problem - and the smell - continue to grow.
Facilities Management has exhibited some shortcomings in response to calls by individual students as well. Following Hurricane Isabelle, the leak in the ceiling of a Copley room began to leak. Repeated calls were met with no response and it was only after the students' parents contacted Karen frank directly that any action was taken.
We at The Independent realize that there are numerous calls to maintenance every day that warrant attention, but while some seem to be answered immediately others take weeks or months or are not addressed at all. It would be helpful to all involved in maintenance could give students an honest estimate of the amount of time it will take for someone to respond to their call, or better yet send a worker out within a few days of any call to at least assess the damage and then provide a more accurate time-frame. Clearly, something is amiss with the system if it takes parental intervention to stop a shower from flooding.
Clear examples of this lack of much-needed attention are reflected by the sad state of some shower and bathroom facilities in the New South dormitory. In one set of showers, there are one or two working units out of six in the girls' room. Additionally, following a vandalism that left only one urinal in a boys' bathroom working, flooding (and the unsavory smells that accompany it) have made the bathroom virtually unusable and the areas near it unlivable for residents. Of course, vandalism warrants penalty and regrettably, many residents who were not involved were forced to pay a considerable fine for repairs. Weeks later, however, no further action has been taken, as the problem - and the smell - continue to grow.
Facilities Management has exhibited some shortcomings in response to calls by individual students as well. Following Hurricane Isabelle, the leak in the ceiling of a Copley room began to leak. Repeated calls were met with no response and it was only after the students' parents contacted Karen frank directly that any action was taken.
We at The Independent realize that there are numerous calls to maintenance every day that warrant attention, but while some seem to be answered immediately others take weeks or months or are not addressed at all. It would be helpful to all involved in maintenance could give students an honest estimate of the amount of time it will take for someone to respond to their call, or better yet send a worker out within a few days of any call to at least assess the damage and then provide a more accurate time-frame. Clearly, something is amiss with the system if it takes parental intervention to stop a shower from flooding.