April 28 , 2006

War of the Words: Campus repairs

By JAKOB KANE LOUKAS
jkl001@marietta.edu

Like a well-greased lawn mower, every part of Marietta College dutifully performs its task, and the grass gets cut.  Forms and papers go through the bureaucracy and land on the right desk so that everything gets done as it should.  But what happens when the rules are followed too strictly, the paperwork becomes too complicated, and people give way to mechanisms?

Hot water has evaporated from Elsie Newton Hall at least three times this year, forcing the girls to invade the bathrooms and showers on the boys’ side.  Complaints in the Honors House have taken more than a year to be fixed, the locks on many of the doors on campus don’t work, and the list continues.  The online work request form has to go through the Resident Director and then on to physical plant, when it would improve
efficiency and efficacy to send it directly to physical plant.  The college need to improve the repair systems so that students can have a safe and comfortable living environment.

An intense focus on rules and regulations seems to be the tendency at Marietta College. They seem to think that if everything follows the system, the students will have the most lovely time.  However, it only creates more headaches.  Instead of taking into account each person, the school has a rule and a form for that. 

More things need to be fixed than just the punctuality of repairs.  It’s time for a more free, relaxed, and fun campus.

By KATIE SCHWENDEMAN
kjs001@marietta.edu

Living off campus apparently has its perks at times. For example, I was completely unaware of all the renovations that need to take place. It could be that I'm just not an observant person in the first place, or it could be that I only have classes in two different buildings at the moment, but whatever the reason, after talking to freshman Erin Hindel, my eyes have been opened to the need for repairs on campus.

Erin was not berating the campus in any way--in fact, she spoke about it in a sort of loving manner--but that does not negate the fact that she felt some changes needed to be made. According to Hindel, the new lights in Mills and Marietta Circle could have been installed earlier, and in her opinion, overall repairs on campus could be made more quickly.

Reminiscing about her freshmen orientation tour, she recalls that she was only shown the “good parts” of campus, and that she didn't notice anything that needed repairing. After living on the first floor of Elsie Newton, though, she has discovered some downfalls of Marietta College's campus. Hindel said that the first floor of Elsie Newton has some problems with flooding, and there are problems with the heating system; it is turned on when it's not cold, and when it's cold, it's not turned on. She also feels that Mills needs some renovation, and the elevators in both Mills and McDonough “seem unstable.”

She went on to state that some desks could be repaired. She described Mills as “grungy and not pleasant to see,” and said that it is “not a place to take people touring.”

Obviously, Marietta College is exempt from being the perfect campus, and while some changes need to be made, it's not something I would necessarily leave over. As far as affecting incoming students, we could always distract them with our landscaping. (It's gorgeous!)