Fix the problems on Trinity campus before expanding

Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 9 at 2:04 p.m. to include information from ResLife that was received after the publishing time. 

Trinity campus has infrastructure problems.

Residents of McAuley, Mercy, Ready, Sichel, Hunt, Richardson and McCann on Trinity campus deal with poor living conditions and maintenance.

Recently, UVM unveiled plans to expand Trinity campus.

The project adds an estimated 350-400 undergraduate beds and 120 graduate suites, according to a Jan. 14 WCAX article.

Instead of expanding Trinity, the University should focus on fixing the problems that currently exist there.

“Laundry machines just break all the time and don’t get fixed for a while,” said first-year Charlotte Lundberg, a Mercy hall resident. “Some people come to McAuley to do their laundry just because they’ve given up.”

Laundry machines should work in all halls and be repaired when needed.

“If a laundry machine is not working correctly, please report this directly to the Office Manager of your complex,” stated Interim Executive Director of ResLife Kevin Hytten. “Laundry machines are managed and repaired by a third-party company.  Improper use of the laundry machines can contribute to increase problems.”

Student should avoid overloading the washers and use a mesh bag when washing very small objects such as close masks, Hytten stated. Small fabric items, paper, garbage and coins can all clog hoses and pumps.

A toilet overflowed in a suite in Ready, said sophomore Brendan Cox, who lives in the affected suite.

“There was no apparent misuse of the toilet,” Cox said. “We got back and water was all over the suite flowing out of the toilet.”

The water damage needs to be repaired and the cleanup process is yet to be completed, Cox said.

This is unacceptable.

“The wall peeled off, so now we just have pieces of the wall sitting in our hallway and we don’t know what to do with them,” Cox said. “There are still fans in our bathroom.”

In the event of any flooding, a variety of UVM departments will work together to respond to the issue.

When a flood was discovered, a team from the Physical Plant Department responded, cleared the plumbing lines, and implemented protocols to contact the Training and Compliance Office who manages the cleanup, Hytten stated. ResLife staff from the Facilities Operations Team were notified, as were team members from the Residential Education Team.  The TCO then contacted ProClean.

The University created a plan to remove the hazardous material asbestos from McAuley Hall in 2017, according to a Nov. 6, 2019 Cynic article.

This construction was pushed back in 2019, according to the article.

Construction has yet to begin as of 2022.

UVM needs to stop dragging their feet when it comes to fixing problems on Trinity campus.

The issue is abundantly clear: UVM needs to repair Trinity campus.

Students living in standard size rooms pay the same amount, regardless of what hall they live in, according to the ResLife website.

Students on Trinity are paying the same price for rooms with lower quality and higher risk.

Before UVM builds new dorms, they need to renovate current facilities.

No student should have broken washing machines, toilets and hazardous material in their primary living space.

Replacing faulty appliances, providing appropriate repairs and removing hazardous material should take priority over expansion.