When a student first attends a university whether it is right or wrong one of their first questions is about the dorms. This may be good or bad, but in the end it is a reality. Here at Shaw, dorms need serious improvement to better accommodate not only new students, but returning students as well.
This is an instituion of higher learning. The current conditions of this environment are not suitable for students, and it is not fair for college students to not be equipped with proper facilities in terms of living conditions and facilities. The dorms here at Shaw can hinder a student’s collegiate expeerience, because they would be focused on minor problems that don’t contribute to their education.
These problems seem minute because at some institutions we take cleanliness for granted, and don’t acknowledge the automatic comfort we feel. This is my first semester at Shaw, and I have dealt with the discomfort of feeling out of place. I feel that my experiences at American River College in California exceeded in positivity compared to my early experiences here. The scantily-clad conditions of the dormitories have contributed to my discomfort. The bottom line is, some changes should be made.
Students would benefit from a laundry system where it would be free and we would not have to pay 2-4 dollars every time we want to wash our clothes. Instead, students can save their money up for laundry detergent and bleach so we can wash our whites separately from colors. If this is not economically efficient for the school, then the least they could do is invest in a coin machine so that students don’t have to walk to McDonald’s just to get change. This happens on a daily basis because there is no other place in walking distance for students to get quarters for their laundry, and it’s compounded by the fact that businesses are only willing to exchange out so much change. Therefore, students without vehicles are stuck trying to find a way of washing clothes. Next, some computers in the dorms’ computer labs are not equipped with Microsoft Word. This is a big problem. There are only four computers each in the Men and Womens’ TOS dorms. Microsoft Word is an essential program to have in college. I can’t think of a major in which you don’t need to write essays. To not have this program is setting students up for failure, because in dorms were approximately 120+ students live and only 3 of the programs are running is absurd. Many students do have laptops, however there is a considerable number of students who do not. Therefore we should have the resources to help us. Then, a common facility we would all appreciate if it were in service is the water fountains in the dorms. Sure, one water fountain works in the T.O.S. men’s dorm, but that is a big inconvenience for students. Naturally, it gets irritating having to walk down from the third to first floor or taking an elevator just to get a sip of water. In the end, it seems so simple to just have a repair man come and repair it, but after months of nothing being solved a person’s nerves can be worked very easily. My final grievance is one of cleanliness and maintenance in our dorms. First off I believe everybody who is in college is old enough and should be able to clean-up after themselves. But there should still be a standard to how clean the bathrooms are. It’s bothers me that young men in college have trouble urinating in the toilet instead of all over the floor and toilet seat. At our own house this would unthinkable. There should be a team effort by students living in the dorms and the custodians to keep restrooms clean. Also, certain areas in restroom should be taken care of for example the little things like a latch. For the sake of privacy the latch on a bathroom door should actually work, and not just be on the door without a purpose. Students should be able to lock the door when using the bathroom, that is just common practice. In conclusion, all students should be comfortable in any way made possible by their institution, and for students who are paying to go to college we should also have the right to live in decent surroundings. I can only hope that this will inform students, faculty, and staff of the the displeasing conditions at this historic instituion.