In the past, Saint Louis University’s administration has been criticized for a lack of communication with students and for being unresponsive to their concerns.

Last night, though, representatives of the Departments of Residence Life and Facilities Services took the initiative.

In a town-hall-style meeting in the commuter lounge of Busch Memorial Center, residents of Marchetti Towers had the opportunity to discuss matters about the apartment complexes with seven officials: Director of Residence Life Leonard Jones; Associate Director of Residence Life Argyle Wade; Assistant Vice President of Facilities Planning Denise Taylor; Director of Building Services Mike G’Sell; Area Coordinator Deana Doan; and J.S. Alberici personnel Jim McGurk and Tim Gunn.

For about an hour and a half, the panel fielded questions from the five residents who attended the meeting. The questions covered issues like housekeeping, maintenance, facility upgrades and apartment policy.

“The meeting was beneficial, but it should have been better attended,” said Dave McElligott. “They (the panel members) were receptive to our comments, and it was good to hear about the construction plans.”

Officials also thought that the meeting was productive.

“I think it went well,” said Jones. “Students had the chance to get their questions answered by the people who have the answers.”

The majority of the questions dealt with the condition of Marchetti Towers at the time of the residents’ arrival. Many students have said that their apartments were not cleaned properly before move-in day. Also, students have noted that some appliances do not work correctly and that there have been water and electricity problems.

The panel took note of all concerns and conveyed a willingness to fix the problems immediately.

“If you’ve got issues and problems . call somebody and complain,” said G’Sell. “You’re our customer.”

One issue that was significantly addressed by the panel was the flurry of construction projects slated for Marchetti over the next semester. Beginning Oct. 2, J.S. Alberici will begin replacing all windows and light fixtures throughout the complex.

Alberici will start work on the 12th floor in Marchetti East; they will work their way down to the ground floor. A second team will begin the same process in Marchetti Work will be done one room at a time. The whole process should be completed by February, and no resident should be inconvenienced more than a few days, McGurk of Alberici said.

These improvements are in addition to the installation of new air-conditioning units that Alberici began over the summer. Four hundred seventy-two units have been replaced thus far in both buildings, with 66 more to go in select rooms in Marchetti West.

Taylor explained the reason Marchetti Towers is receiving renovations during the school year instead of the summer.

“There’s only so much that can be done during that 12-week period of time,” she said.

The renovations needed in Marguerite, Griesedieck and Reinert Halls were considered to be more important, Taylor said. Taylor also said that it took a significant period of time to order and receive the windows for Marchetti.

Wade and Jones both stressed that panels like these should be held more often.

Jones said that a similar type of meeting is planned for the residents of O’Brien House.

“These are the things we’re hoping to do with students throughout the year,” Wade said.