No one ever said dormitory life was supposed to comfortable, but many residents from DeMattias Hall have experienced some rather unusual conditions this semester.
In one incident a sink fell completely off the wall exposing broken water pipes that spewed steaming hot water and flooded the entire third floor. The water completely saturated the carpet, which caused mildew growth, and two chapter rooms were ruined along with many other personal items. Apparently, some of the students even went home due to illness and nausea caused by the smell. According to one resident, the water was hot enough to melt garbage cans. The Department of Residence Life took almost two weeks to even begin laying new carpet. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. Since the first accident, two other sinks have fallen off as well.
Katie Kelly, a sophomore, said, “We don’t say prayers about the next day. We say prayers that the sinks don’t fall off.”
Other plumbing and water problems continue to plague residents. Katie Saunders, a junior, reported that her water often has a gritty texture or a greenish-brown tint to it. The showers are not exactly up to par either. Saunders stated, “There are eight showers for 33 residents, which isn’t a bad ratio, but of the eight only six work and of those six only three have hot water and of the three only two have adequate water pressure and of those two you run a fifty percent chance of getting plaster in your eye because of the gaping hole above one of the nozzles.”
The unusually warm temperatures have also caused a lot of discomfort. DeMattias is equipped with air conditioning, but the system was shut down and switched to central heating in September. The windows offered no respite either, for they could only open about two inches and a cross breeze was impossible because of how closely all the buildings are located.
Electrical shortages are also a common occurrence and the elevators often get stuck between floors. Diane Nelson, a junior, stated, “Sometimes you have to pry open the doors yourself and jump onto your floor.”
Small things like light bulbs are regularly neglected. Some students have complained of migraines and headaches because of the poor lighting. Others have to use file cabinets instead of dressers and the six-foot long desks are bulky and cumbersome.
Joe Lanter, a senior member of the housing committee, said that he has not seen anyone come from Residence Life and formally review the building nor is he aware of any specific renovation plans. He does, however, maintain that the department is well aware of these problems and intent on fixing them. He did mention that Larry Davis, the CDC for DeMattias, Linda Wardhammar, the Assistant Director of Student Life and Fraternity/Sorority advisor, and Jim Swinson, the Manager of Student Development Facilities came in and compiled a list of projects that needed to be accomplished in the building. It is just a matter of priority as to which building receives attention first.
According to Swinson changes should be underway quite soon. Swinson said, “No one is being left out or minimized; J.S. Alberici is already working on summer renovation schedules.” The problems that DeMattias is facing are uniform throughout the campus. Swinson continually stressed that the building staff is aware, sympathetic, and concerned, but maintained that the department would not house anyone in someplace they themselves would not live in. “The problems will be dealt with as quickly and efficiently as the resources allow,” stated Swinson.
SLU 2000 is one of the tools that Residence Life is going to utilize in improving the facilities. Kathleen Brady, Vice President of Facilities Management and Civic Affairs, stated that Project SLU 2000 currently contains the following work for DeMattias Hall: new furniture, as needed, painting, carpeting, new boilers, and an alarm system. Work will be completed in the next two to three years, Brady said.
Despite all the inconveniences and temporary frustrations, dormitory life still maintains some appeal. Kelly stated, “The previous comments sound very negative, but I’ve really enjoyed it here. There’s even a 20 person waiting list for the Gamma Phi Beta floor.”
