By Arpan Josan
Our campus has seven residence halls: Chapman Hall, Earle Hall, Eddy Hall, Waldo Hall, Linen Hall, Residence Hall A and Residence Hall B. According to the University’s website, each one comes fully furnished with free Wi-Fi, lounges with kitchens and frequent events hosted by Resident Assistants (RAs). With students now a month into living in their dorms, many have expressed their desire for renovations. These changes include the shower curtains being more secure, all the residence halls having elevators–currently only Res A, Res B, and Earle Hall have them–and bathrooms being cleaned more thoroughly.
Although there are no immediate plans for renovations concerning the bathroom showers, Carol Ann Boyle, vice president of facilities and information technology, said, “Our team is committed to maintaining and improving these facilities as part of our ongoing maintenance efforts. We regularly conduct reviews and perform necessary repairs to ensure all facilities are functional and safe.”
Resident students voiced their opinions on what changes they would want to see in the future. These included having air conditioning installed on every floor and improvements to their shared bathrooms, their dorm rooms and their resident building.
Gaby Saravia, a sophomore social work major who resides in Waldo Hall, said, “I would want new shower curtains for the bathrooms because they are not secure.”
“I would want an elevator to be installed as I live on the third floor [of Eddy Hall] and it would be more convenient,” said freshman psychology major Brianna Gray. “This would also be helpful when it comes to move-in day.”
Gaby Bernier, a sophomore nursing major and Waldo Hall resident, said “I want air conditioning in all the dorms since only some floors have them.”
Regarding having air conditioning in all the dorms, only Waldo, Chapman and Linen Halls have it on the fourth floors. Earle Hall has air conditioning on its first and fourth floors, while Eddy and Residence Halls A and B have it on all floors. During the warmer months of this year, the lack of air conditioning in many areas will likely be a nuisance for many residential students.
Bob Shipley, assistant vice president of facilities management, discussed the reason for the disparity.
“The older Res Halls were originally three-story buildings with heating systems only. These buildings [Earle, Waldo, Chapman, Linen, Eddy] date back to the 1950s and ‘60s, a time when fully air-conditioned facilities were not yet commonplace. When the fourth floor additions were built in the late 1980’s, air conditioning was added to the new rooms.”
Shipley added, “Some rooms on the first floor of Earle have AC. Eddy Hall did not get a fourth floor but was renovated in 2000 and a full AC system was installed as part of the project. Res A and B are both fully air-conditioned via geothermal systems.”
As of right now, there are no plans to include air conditioning in all of the dorm rooms.
Even though there are no large-scale renovation plans in regards to the bathrooms, Boyle mentioned a five-year deferment plan when it comes to long-term renovations. “This plan prioritizes upgrades based on urgency, impact and available funding. While specific details about bathroom renovations are still under discussion, the plan does address the aging infrastructure in some of our older residence halls,” she said. “The bathrooms, like other aspects of these facilities, are included in the scope of future improvements.”
The aim is to not only improve the bathrooms but also other areas as well. This would include overhauls of existing HVAC systems, improvements to common spaces such as kitchens and lounges, and improved accessibility. Boyle added that these improvements are not in the planning phase, but student input is important when it comes to designing these spaces.
Boyle has also stated that she is open to having a conversation about students' concerns and coming up with solutions to immediate concerns. This would involve potentially touring the dorms to identify existing problems first-hand. She is open to students joining her on this tour to conduct a walk-through and discuss any particular problems they may be facing.
“We appreciate the feedback from our students and want to reassure them that their voices are heard. We are committed to working collaboratively to create a living environment that meets their needs and enhances their overall university experience,” Boyle said.
If students have any questions or concerns regarding maintenance, they can submit a ticket at www.adelphi.edu/it-services/maintenance-repair-requests. Students can also discuss with their RA or assistant director for their building, or email housing@adelphi.edu for further assistance.
“The Office of Residential Life and Housing, along with the Facilities and Information Technology departments, continually assesses the needs of our residence halls to ensure they provide a comfortable and conducive living environment for our students,” Boyle said.
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