Who says Stu-Han is boring?
Campus Times
February 6, 1998
Last year when I signed up for campus housing, I debated whether to
live in Stu-Han or the Oaks. I opted for Stu-Han, not only because most
of my friends live there or because of how close it is to yummy Davenport
Dining Hall, but because it is never boring in Stu-Han.
Yep, that's right. There is never a dull moment. Just doing everyday
things like laundry or taking a shower becomes a challenge. It is always
fun to crawl out of bed and sleepily step into an ice cold shower at 8 a.m.
And this is not after all other 15 people in my wing have taken a shower.
If I want warm water in Wing Four, I must get up at the crack of dawn
and be one of the first two people in.
Other days it is even more fun. I was walking through the hallway the
other day and could have sworn I heard a downpour, but I looked out the
window and saw no rain. That is when I noticed a broken pipe spewing water
all over the carpet, unattended.
I proceeded down the hallway, intending yet again, to take another shower.
I stepped in expecting water from the Antarctic. Surprise! The water was
completely off, including the toilets and the sinks. What joy!
So I wait until the water is turned back on, right? Wrong! If I had
waited until the water was turned back on, I would have missed the first
week of classes.
I asked Maintenance about this teeny-weeny water problem and Jack Ward,
maintenance foreman, said, "We were replacing the boiler system so
that the hot water doesn't run out. We had to turn off the water to break
some connections, then a pipe got damaged and we had to repair that. If
not the water would have only been turned off for an hour and a half."
According to Ward, plans to replace Wings Two and Three boiler system
are set for this summer.
Well, Wings Two and Three, if your showers are anything like ours, you
are in my prayers until next year.
Then of course there is the laundry ritual my friends and I endure week
after week. After we go in search of quarters (it would be too easy to
supply the college students with a change machine) we put on our rain gear,
including galoshes and make our way to the laundry room. This is because
every once in awhile the washing machine has had a little accident and water
is up to our waist.
Hey, now that I think of it, why not kill two birds with one stone?
Next time we will bring our soap along and bathe in there.
Of course sometimes there is no water spilling on the floor and the
washing machines are just plain broken. ¡Esa es la vida!
OK, so we have concluded that the plumbing in Stu-Han is not so great,
but at least we still have our health, right?
That is if we do not catch pneumonia first. Residents came home to a
note on their doors a while back that informed us of the heaters being broken,
in the dead of winter. The note read something like, "We don't know
why they are broken or when they'll be fixed, so bundle up."
Hey, that reminds me...along the lines of heat, I also found a note
the other day on my door that said Stu-Han's oven was broken.
Great, terrific, well at least we have still got the microwave (knock
on wood).
So, I am just wondering what my $2,220 a year does pay for, because
I have pretty much established that it does not cover heat, water or any
of the facilities...but hey, I am glad to live in Stu-Han. It builds character
and like I said, it is always an adventure.
Jennifer Parsons, a sophomore journalism major, is managing editor
of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at parsonsj@ulv.edu.
