While much attention has been paid to the innovative and eco-friendly Sophia-Gordon Hall, it seems as though Carmichael Hall, one of the University's oldest dormitories, has been left to rot on the top of the hill.
Only three weeks into the fall semester, leaks in the building's roof shook some fifth floor residents with a threat of eviction and left them with jury-rigged accommodations for the year.
While the administration should be commended for listening to students in this situation, the larger problem, concerns with deferred maintenance, is still affecting students across campus.
These inadequacies are only glaringly more obvious as a result of the recent acclaim for the comparatively palatial Sophia Gordon Hall.
As evinced by the latest incidences in Carmichael, one cannot help but wonder that older dorms have been left to the wayside despite the hoopla surrounding Sophia Gordon.
Students and residents alike must let those at the Office of Residential Life (ORLL) know that they can no longer put their eggs in one basket: it is unreasonable for the standards of living to vary so greatly between two separate dormitories on campus.
The ORLL cannot use the recent fury of publicity surrounding the senior residency to cover up for what has become increasingly unsuitable housing on campus.
A month after Sophia Gordon opened its doors to new residents, the ORLL must now concentrate its energies on improving older dorms instead of enhancing new ones.
There is no doubt that sufficient routine maintenance of the building's roofing and structure would have caught such severe damage before it aversely affected so many.
To even contemplate shifting students from one residency to another just weeks into the new term is unacceptable.
While efforts have been made to decrease the number of students involved with the move, the ORLL now has new challenges to face.
Although living space will be changed into a triple room for the remaining students who must move, Carmichael residents may now be deprived of a valuable common area.
Furthermore, for safety reasons, one must also ask whether or not the decision to leave students into the rooms in question was a wise decision and if it was made in haste.
The administration would do well to get to the bottom of this problem as soon as possible, and work proactively on maintenance to keep the facilities in top shape.
Students shouldn't expect the palatial penthouses that some schools now offer, but should have the right to live comfortably in serviceable, pleasant facilities that befit the world-class education this institution offers.
