When you are a resident freshman at Cabrini College, one of the thoughts running through your mind may be, “I cannot wait to get out of these dorms and live in the houses.” Out of all the houses, house two, the Dixon house, is the biggest on campus, with the most wishes to live in. What makes the freshman want to live in house two? Is it the dust, mold, smell, or lack of soap that draws people in?
In all houses there are problems, but when students pay roughly $9,900 to live on campus, you would think there would be sufficient toilet paper and paper towels for trips to the bathrooms. Also, when residents go the bathroom, they do not even have soap to wash away germs with.
Sophomore exercise science major Caitlin McDevitt said, “The bathroom is my main complaint. There is no soap in the bathrooms and it’s pretty ridiculous.”
Sophomore undecided major, Kelly Cupples, said, “I actually made a facilities request for soap and I received a call back from facilities saying it is not their responsibility to put soap in the bathrooms, but the schools. I then made another request to get soap dispensers installed and that was back in the first week of October.”
Residents complain that because of no soap, more germs are getting spread throughout the house than should be. Because of this problem, the best bet for residents is to keep sanitizing soap right inside their rooms and to use it on their hands as soon as possible. Also, it would be smart to purchase Clorox wipes and to sanitize your doorknobs to your room and closets. These daily routines could prevent a common cold for you and your roommates.
Not only are there small problems within the bathrooms, but on the first floor, one of the doors to the bathroom is locked altogether.
Sophomore accounting major Rick Marx said, “We were locked out of one of the bathrooms so everyone has to just use one toilet and share two showers. Also, the ceiling in the one bathroom that works is dripping.”
On a much more serious note, mold is still an ongoing problem from last year. Cupples said, “There is mold in our radiator which never got cleaned after I contacted facilities. I believe I am sick because of this and my roommate has a sore throat every morning. There is also no ventilation with the small window in our room. Maybe we would have some ventilation if our air conditioner worked, but that is another story.”
Mold is a fungus that is usually found in damp areas, such as in a basement or a bathroom. It can enter homes in many ways, such as on your clothing, shoes, bags and even keeping your windows open. Since the majority of house two windows are open, this may be how it enters. This fungus is known for triggering allergies and asthma, causing breathing difficulties, colds, coughing which results in sore lungs, and most importantly, eventually cancer. Doesn’t sound like a good mix for the residents in house two.
Sophomore business administration major Brittany Fodero said, “I have allergies and the dust is terrible in this place. Facilities need to clean out our radiators as much as possible and accommodate to people with allergies. Especially since they turned off the air, the dust just sits there.”
With dust come some unwanted guests: dust mites. These microscopic creatures that live in dust inhabit in even the cleanest homes. These mites leave behind droppings that mix with dust, which becomes airborne and can now enter your system through breathing. For those people who fights allergies, this dust can make one sneeze and wheeze all throughout the year according to mayoclinic.com. Along with a possibility of dusts mites, many students find other creepy crawlers making homes in their house.
Sophomore psychology major Kristie Sandefur said, “There are ants in the shower! It actually makes me feel gross just thinking about it.”
Sophomore elementary education major Felicia Neuber said, “The problems I see with this house is with the showers. There is soap scum constantly around the brim of the bathtub and the drain is always clogged. You cannot take a shower because it fills up to your ankles and it’s like taking a bath.”
Sophomore English and communication major, Jessica Pencinger, said, “The carpets really need to be cleaned. There is a smell as soon as you walk into this house and it smells like shit. That could be causing a lot of sickness. I think we really got the shaft in this house.”
On the other hand, there are residents that believe they are responsible for how the house is kept. Tears in the couches, smells from the carpets and clogged drains would seem to come from those who use them.
Sophomore undecided major Bob Walsh said, “Facilities keeps it clean, but I believe we mess it up. The only thing I disagree with is that bathrooms shouldn’t be locked like Marx said.”
All in all, the majority of house two sophomores want to know where their tuition money is going. If they live away from home, they want their standards of living to be suitable.
Sophomore secondary education major Lauren Iannace said, “If I wanted to live in hell, I should have just stayed home.”
