University of Alabama - Corolla Yearbook (Tuscaloosa, AL)

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Over Head All directors and resident assistants are required to attend a three day conference before the fall semester and a one day conference before the spring semester. Leeds said, that these conferences are an effort by Housing to get us to become bet- ter listeners, better leaders, and better or- ganizers. First year RAs also have to take a se- mester course whose objective is to im- prove our management skills so we man- age our time and skills better, Leeds explained. Many students complain about the qual- ity of the food served in the University Cafeterias, yet those living in Tutwiler, Mary Burke, and Paty are forced to buy meal tickets. According to Montgomery the bonded dorms are used to pay off long term housing mortgages. When we were building some of the newer dorms Hous- ing received bonds to pay for construction. The percentage of the meal contract that goes to Housing is used to pay for this Housing debt. Montgomery can find no justification for the roach problem found in most dorms. Maintenance is constantly fighting the battle of the roach. Yet the food found in many rooms seems to just enhance it. I ' m afraid it may be a continual problem that we will be forever fighting. Many facilities need major renovations. The staff at Paty worked on their dorm last summer in order to bring the conditions up to the living level. Mary Burke cafete- ria was given a major renovation with car- pet and colorfully wallpapered walls. The funds are now being raised to install new air conditioning systems in Harris and One of the things that students must learn when going away to college is how to wash their own clothes. On the University of Alabama campus it also means learning to get used to the frustration of waiting to use one of the few washing machines supplied to each dornrx, and learning that 75% of the tinne two out of three washing nxachines or dryers are labeled out of order. Many students occupy their time with backgammon and poker as they try to patiently wait on those trying machines. 24 Housing

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K| The problems students confront when wres- tling with Housing seem to mount semester after semester. Those that stick with Hous- ing despite the problems have come to real- ize that it ' s merely . . . a Roof Over Head Why are students continually dis- couraged and disappointed with the conditions of Universi- ty Housing facilities? Roaches. Elevators. Washing Machines. Three to a room. Maintenance. Plumbing. Sanitiation. Take your pick. Because if you asked students this question you would get as many different answers as students. Jerry Dotson, president of Paty Hall, said, There was a big summer hassle about students getting dorm rooms — espe- cially freshmen. All campus housing was booked up; so many students either found housing in apartments or went to another university. Then come Fall it winds up that there are 70 empty spaces at University House. Bob Montgomery, acting director of resi- dent life, said We designated some rooms as third person rooms in order to handle the overflow. We don ' t know whose going to show until school starts so we always make sure we have more students than rooms. By the time school starts we are able to find spaces where students didn ' t show and place our overflows there. It ' s a lot better than sending the overflow to mo- tels or dorm lobbies. This year Housing started using the nine month contract for freshmen and transfer students. Next year all students in Housing will be required to sign similiar contracts. Montgomery said this will help Housing regulate fees more efficiently and help get an idea of the retention rate that we will have in the Spring. We run into budget problems in the Spring because we have no idea how much the occupany rate will drop. The contract will benefit the student by trying to keep housing fees down and consistent. It is a purely economical mea- sure to help alleviate the problems of un- used space that we run into every spring with students moving into apartments and greek houses. Mike Casey moved out of University Housing after spending one semester in A freshmen coming to the University may turn right around and go hon: e if his dorm room resembled this ghetto-like room. Housing lacks the personnel that is needed to repair and clean these ugly and detriorating rooms. As a result, many stu- Paty Hall. The size of the rooms was the big determinant that got me out of Hous- ing. It gave me a weird feeling to live in a small hole. It was hard for me to adjust to living in such a small space, he said. Housing is one of the hardest aspects of campus life that freshmen must adjust too. Deedie Dowdle, a freshman living in Mary Burke said, I have had a hard time get- ting used to getting no privacy. The only time its quiet enough to study is at four in the morning. Lynn Parsons, a junior living in Harris Hall, said that the biggest problem I ' ve had with Housing is their enormous lack of organization. My roommate and I want- ed to paint our room and we were given different stories from all different person- nel on how to get it done. We were told Housing would supply the paint and we would paint the room, we were told they ' d supply th e paint and also paint the room, and then we were told that Housing wouldn ' t let us paint our rooms at all. She also pointed out the inadequate resident assistants that run the dorms. Our RA is always loud and noisy. When I ' m trying to study I can ' t complain about the noise because it is our RA that is mak- ing the noise, complained Parsons, sons. An RA is a resident assistant whose pri- mary job is to aid the students through counseling, advising, programming, and administrative duties. One of their basic duties is to strive to create a relationship of trust, confidence, and acceptance be- tween themselves and the residents. Sue Leeds, a resident assistant at New Hall, said, My job consists mainly of opening doors and answering maintenance questions. The relationship with the girls here is a lot different than at Tutwiler or Mary Burke where there are a lot of fresh- men with adjustment problems. The upper classmen found here are basically well adjusted and established within the aca- demic and social aspects of campus life. dents find themselves cussing the Housing systenn as they pick up the nnesses left by past occupants and as they try to repair those things that Housing just never seems to get around to. Housing 23

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l -Tfc . , The first thing women think of when Tutwiler is mentioned is the inconvenience they are confronted with when they are trying to get to their eighth floor dorm room and only one of the elevators are working. When an elevator finally arrives women aggresively push their way through the doors, for they know that to wait on the next one could mean another fifteen minutes of staring at the elevator doors. This mischevious devil is found in gar- bage cans, open food, even in drawers. And what can you do to get rid of him? Noth- ing. Theory has it that the adaptable roach gets so used to the poisonous bug spray that his system starts craving it. It ' s either that or his babies grow so fast that his death is never obvious. So, housing resi- dents, get used to him. Cause he ' s going to be around for a long time. Friedman. There were rehabilitation rooms built on the first floor of Tutwiler and elevators were installed to the cafeteria to help alliviate the transportation problems of the handicapped. The problems of Housing never seem to be solved. Though renovations are being made to make the appearance of the dorms more agreeable, Housing has yet to become the organized administrative body needed to handle student problems quick- ly and efficiently. Whether it ' s problems concerning a personality conflict with a roommate or a problem with the plumbing Housing personnel should be adequately trained to solve them to the satisfaction of the customers, the students. | One would think that living in the hot- test area of the country would convince Housing that installed air conditioning systems should be of top priority. Alas, Housing is unable to make the total ad- justments needed to put this University ' s Housing system out of the dark ages and into the age of modern conveniences. Many students take this problem into their own hands by installing their own version of air conditioning as best they can. Chuck Snow Housing 25