The beginning of a new semester brings new professors, classes and sometimes, a new dorm hall.
A $19 million investment by the state of New York to SUNY New Paltz brought about many renovations for the Fall 2017 semester, such as the on-going renovations at Hasbrouck dining hall and the drastic renovation of the 49-year-old Bevier Hall, that now includes an elevator, a new bathrooms, roof and floors.
For the residents of Deyo Hall however, renovations are something they believe is desperately needed. Second-year student Jackie Shea-Herer and third year geology major Mackenzie Ulrop spoke about the various problems that haunt their dorming life at Deyo, ranging from an asbestos warning and a wasp infestation to bathroom flooding.
“I find it really frustrating to pay for the same amount as others to live here for a crappy residence life,” said Ulrop.
Herer shared the same sentiments by adding that “other dorms have a hotel-esque bathroom but [theirs] looks straight out of a prison.”
College Spokesperson Chrissie Williams explained that there is a certain criteria for a dorm to be up for renovation, pointing out that the dorms within the Hasbrouck complex had a considerable amount of “asbestos embedded in the ceilings, which, if dislodged, could become a hazard to the occupants.”
Residence halls within the Hasbrouck complex that were not renovated this year, have small signs placed within the building to warn students of the asbestos.
Herer noted that although signs were in the hall, the signs were later painted over. “The asbestos sign was concerning, but the fact they were painted over made it seem like like no one took the time to even remove them before painting.”
The height of Deyo’s problems, however, was a wasp infestation in Suite 103 that took two weeks to get rid of. When a few wasps entered from the tattered screens, the suitemates tried to catch the insects in cups or hit them with shoes. As more came in, the suitemates had to get more creative, such as Ulrop, who borrowed her professor’s electric fly swatter after she explained her dorming situation to him.
“If there is a problem with wasps, or other related issue, students are asked to submit a facilities request form,” Williams said when asked about what is currently being done for the residents of Deyo.
After killing over 50 wasps and complaining to the Resident Assistants, an exterminator was called to the scene.
The exterminators, according to Herer and Ulrop, were not technically equipped for the job, although they were amicable people. “The exterminator sprayed the wasps with some sort of poison and wore no protective gear, which resulted in him sweating heavily and exclaiming, ‘fuck, those are a lot of bees.”’
Towards the end of the fiasco, some suitemates were given the option to live in a temporary dorm.
“On top of the money we spend on our major renovation projects, we have spent approximately $3-4 million annually over the last 15 years on minor renovation and repair projects in all of our residence halls on campus in order to keep them maintained and upgraded to a very high standard. There are future plans to do a complete renovation of both Deyo Hall and Dubois Hall,” concluded Williams.