Dorm diligence: Understanding the situation of residency at UMF
Austin Marden
Contributing Writer
Living at an institution of higher learning is a unique and challenging experience. UMF has seven dorms for students to move into. This includes the three halls in the Scott Complex (North, South and West) and the east side of campus—meaning the Mallet, Purington, Stone, Lockwood, Dakin, and Francis Allen Black (FAB) halls. Each hall has at least one community assistant (CA) and houses many students in spaces dedicated to specific themes or communities. One applies to live in one of these dorms by going into MyCampus and using the Resident Life and Housing portal, then following the steps as prompted.
Each dorm has positives and negatives, as well as their own things going on that make them special. Scott, for example, is attached to the Student Health Clinic and Stone has both regular dorms and suite-style living. Mallet (among several other buildings) has been said to be haunted and Purington has a history including being the dorm and dining hall and hosting a dilapidated hot tub.
There are, however, some issues facing UMF residential students. Marijuana use is very prevalent within the dorms, causing issues for the Student Life staff and UMF’s Public Safety department. Bathrooms are repeatedly left unkempt, and sometimes noise can be heard from over a floor away. Two CAs from different dorms, as well as two residents from different dorms, were interviewed on successes, challenges and notable events and thoughts residents face.
“I’ve personally not seen mental health issues as much but I know that’s something you deal with.” Mallet CA Isaiah Day said, commenting on CA Dilyse Lorello’s experiences in Dakin. This quote is paraphrased. It was brought to one CA’s attention that students with disabilities face additional challenges in residence halls due to accessibility features being either broken or inadequate.
It isn’t all doom and gloom, however. Lockwood is under progress and a new professional staff member, Dr. Yetunde Ajao, was hired for Student Life. Programs put on by CAs and other individuals have been relatively successful after the pandemic’s lull on activities. CA Dilyse had this to say about a success she had seen. This quote was paraphrased.
“I find my biggest successes are when residents form closer relationships with me, if they’re comfortable with that. It really makes me feel like the community’s come together.”
In terms of improvements, CA Isaiah had a suggestion. He suggested redoing the communal dish system. As it stands currently, one has access to the communal kitchens and spaces with no oversight whatsoever. This allows for individuals to use anything in the kitchens and other spaces at any time. The problem with this is that the lack of accountability has allowed people to leave these spaces in a state of upheaval. The proposed solution was to create a system not unlike the green boxes Sodexo uses. One would rent dishes or the ability to use the dishes, overseen by Sodexo or some other group. This would create much needed accountability. Other suggestions were to include hand towels in the bathrooms and to create more community events and ways for individuals to mix in the community.
To bring these thoughts to a close, the dorms at UMF provide an interesting place for students to experience life as a new adult on their own. The facilities and dorms themselves show students interesting ways of living and force people to become a part of the community. Each CA is responsible for small bits and pieces of campus life and they have found themselves in interesting positions. Living on campus is a lot and it has a large impact on a person.
