UA survey finds discontent with Res Living

Space, comfort and cost among criticisms Undergraduates are dissatisfied with Residential Living, according to a recent poll conducted by the Undergraduate Assembly. The poll, taken by the UA's Residential Living Committee, surveyed 414 students over the past month. Of the students polled, 63 percent lived on campus. But only 34 percent of these students indicated that they would definitely continue to live on campus next year. And the on-campus students expressed disappointment in their accommodations, particularly in the area of dorm maintenance. The average student ranked residential maintenance 2.9 on a scale of 1 to 5. Safety, friends and convenience were ranked the top reasons why student had chosen to live on campus. But space, comfort and cost were the most popular reason for moving off campus, the survey showed. Greek involvement and dissatisfaction with on-campus accommodations were also given as common reasons for living off campus by the 152 off-campus students polled. The survey indicated that most students had chosen their residence based on its location and where their friends were living. Students listed a variety of problems that need attention in order to make on-campus living more attractive. Forty percent of those polled said on-campus living could be improved by lowering costs, while eight percent said that maintenance needed improvement. "I think my dorm is neglected by maintenance at times," a W.E.B. DuBois College House resident said. Other students complained about slow maintenance response to requests for repairs. Twelve percent of students said the problem with on-campus living was the size and quality of rooms. The same number cited poor cleaning of dorms as a problem. But several students polled said there is no way to improve on-campus living, because off-campus residences will always remain a better and cheaper option. UA member and College sophomore Josh Rockoff reminded the body that within the next few months, as Residential Living and Residential Maintenance merge, the situation in campus residences should change. Rockoff, who is also a member of the Residential Advisory Board, announced that RAB is testing a new on-line complaint registration system that will be operational next week. UA Residential Living Committee Chairperson Christian Hensley met with Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone yesterday. Hensley said the meeting and the survey had accomplished a lot, and that Simeone was both appreciative and communicative. "The survey is a staging point," the College senior said. "We were able to quantify the areas of Residential Living that we always concerned about and we were able to determine that maintenance was one of the major issues we face. "Now we can assess sources of difficulty and address them one by one," he added.