The record-breaking 4,290 freshmen living on campus this year are settling into their somewhat-cramped housing situations amid complaints of a poorly planned redesign and lack of furniture, especially in overenrolled John Muir College and Sixth College.
John Muir College’s Tioga Hall was renovated over summer to accommodate a record number of freshmen, but has faced furniture shortages and bathroom problems.
According to Director of UCSD Housing and Dining Services Mark P. Cunningham, there are 735 triple bedrooms across the campus this year, compared to only 22 triples last year.
At Muir, Tioga Hall underwent a major renovation over summer to accomodate the large freshmen class, including bathroom renovations and new paint, carpet and furniture, according to Cunningham.
“It’s a long list, but it was our typical level of work for a major renovation,” Cunningham stated in an e-mail.
However, some Muir students living in the newly remodeled Tioga Hall are questioning the dorms’ redesign. Meg Gullo, a house adviser in the hall, has compiled a list of the most common student complaints and submitted it to Cunningham and other administration.
In her letter, Gullo complained about the lack of shower-changing rooms and towel hooks that are too far to reach from the shower.
In addition, the showers are much smaller — making showering uncomfortable for larger residents — and the fiberglass shells of the showers have begun to crack in some bathrooms.
“When they made all the decisions on the renovations, it was too late to convene a student panel,” Gullo said.
Cunningham admitted that he has received complaints regarding Tioga, indicating that “the functionality of some of the remodeled space and some of the new furniture would describe a large portion of the concerns which were brought to me and the need for more student involvement in the renovation process.” He said that he would be working with the Muir College Residents Council to address the problems.
Gullo also said that the lack of drainage in the bathrooms causes slippery floors, and only having one toilet paper dispenser in each stall leads to toilet paper shortages, especially on the weekends.
“The bathrooms are one of the biggest problems,” Gullo said.
Four weeks into the quarter, furniture for Muir’s converted triple rooms is still trickling in, but Cunningham blamed the furniture provider, which broke a contract with the university.
“The furnishings were ordered from multiple vendors and ordered over a period of several months from May through September using our standard bid and ordering processes,” Cunningham stated in an e-mail. “One vendor did not meet the agreed upon delivery schedule and we are addressing that issue with the company directly.”
According to Gullo, one of the most inconvenient features of the remodeling is the fact that the new desks have no drawers, because they were installed with the idea that eventually UCSD would become a paperless community.
Some freshmen have also complained about missing bookshelves in their rooms, a problem that may have been caused by misplacing bookshelves that were moved out during the renovation process, according to Cunningham.
“The existing bookshelves were all placed in storage during the renovation process, and those were put back,” Cunningham stated. “It is possible that a bookshelf was missed in that process. The housing staff will be surveying every room to assess what is missing over the fall quarter to catch anything that hasn’t been reported to us by the individual resident.”
Not all the renovations are finished, either. One of Tioga’s elevators is under construction, which is estimated to be finished by the end of the quarter. According to Gullo, the frequent usage of the elevator causes it to break down often.
However, not all the reactions to the Tioga renovation are negative.
“The renovations are nice,” Muir freshman and Tioga resident Juliana Kincanno said. “Regarding the bathrooms, I think they could have done a better job with the showers, but overall it makes it more pleasant to live here.”
Freshmen seem to be handling the crowded triple housing well, Gullo said, since the increased number of residents spurs more socialization.
Next year’s freshmen class is expected to be smaller, which should give H&DS some time to catch up, according to Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Joseph W. Watson. He also stated in an e-mail that campuswide efforts are being made to add additional housing.
“The North Campus Housing Project is planned for 2009 and would provide 1,000 beds for transfer students,” he stated. “Revelle and Muir College in-fill projects and North Campus Housing (Phase II) are being proposed to open in 2011.”
Muir plans to renovate Tenaya Hall during the summer of 2007, and it will be handled better than Tioga, Cunningham stated.
