Common residential problems and who to go to
There are some very common hot takes around the University of Dallas: which was harder to read, Dante or Milton? Is the tower bell iconic or annoying? Which year had the best Charity Week? But the one subject that almost the entire university, from faculty and staff to students, can agree on, is that the current housing conditions present a lot of problems.
UD has become infamous for its housing conditions. It is the number one concern brought up to Student Government. It is Residence Life’s number one received complaint. Facilities seems to spend an abhorrent amount of time on work orders.
What actually seem to be the problems that campus residences are facing, and what is the rest of UD doing to help resolve these issues?
Mold, the ventilation system- including heaters, AC, and fans- critters like the uninvited four and six legged creatures and your problematic roommate, the bathrooms- every student who has lived even a semester in the dorms, halls or student apartments has a horror story.
How do these problems get solved? Who do residences turn to when their electrical outlets are broken or there is a scorpion in the middle of their room (both true stories).
As an organization whose purpose is to serve and support the students and create communication between the administration and the general population, Student Government has been tackling this issue for years.
Luke Enriquez, senior politics major and SG president, says, “Over the past four years I’ve served on SG, the most common complaint I’ve heard about UD housing has been the general conditions of the housing, specifically mold in the dormitories and showers. The best way to have this specific issue—and most other issues with dormitories—addressed is through the request of work orders. When a work order is placed, the contracted Facilities department then knows what, where and why an issue has arisen… If you have any issues placing one, feel free to come to SG on the Mall or ask a senator, and we’d be more than happy to help you!”
Cecilia Fay, senior politics major and a member of the Crusader Outreach committee, recounts her time as a member of the Student Concerns committee: “Last semester, one of the most common complaints we had about student housing were about the washers and dryers. We would get complaints that many of the washers and dryers in the student apartments, Augustine, Clark and other dorms either needed maintenance or were not working at all. In regards to getting the washers and dryers, we contacted all the students who complained to inform them how to put in a work order on this, as well as contacting Facilities and OSL to inform them of the problem.”
Sarah Baker of the Residence Life Office also contributes, “The most common concern is related to facilities issues, followed by roommate conflicts. We [the Residence Life Office] work with students to find immediate solutions- for example, if a student had a water leak, we would work with them on being temporarily relocated while the leak was being addressed- and notify Facilities to bring it to their radar so that they can address the underlying issue, following up as needed. For roommate conflicts, the policy is that students first discuss with each other, and then our office will step in as needed, as many roommate conflicts stem from miscommunication.
“The goal is to accommodate students as much as possible when they face an unexpected challenge with their housing situation. It’s challenging because we can’t control the outcome of facilities-related issues, but do our best to be in communication with Facilities, as we take the students’ concerns seriously.”
Dr. Roper adds, “These days, facilities problems [are the most common]. Sadly, I’m not in charge of Facilities, so often what we have to do in this office [with] the issues and complaints [is] try our very best to advocate for the students with those complaints to facilities.
“The problems are with execution, execution of those facilities problems and complaints. Beyond that, I would say, you know, the usual roommate problems.”
As readers can see, a common theme is emerging: the work orders. SG, Residence Life, students, all are subject to them. The age of the dorms and their poor infrastructure are issues not easily addressed. Quick, ineffective duct tape solutions are all UD can do.
Unfortunately, Facilities was not available this week for an interview. However, SG is working on a way to “facilitate” communication between them and students with special QR codes placed in the dorms, courtesy of sophomore senator Gregory King, and sophomore senator Katherine Gonzalez is currently communicating with multiple offices of UD over these issues.