Murphy Hall’s first floor has been the subject of multiple issues that have come under fire. Over the past month, the bathroom has suffered a few technical issues. One of its urinals has frequently flooded, leaving the room inoperable multiple times. It was fixed, but after flooding again, it became condemned and had been for about a month until Easter break.
A handful of residents were spoken to who find problems with the smell, which has been running for about a month now, the dysfunctional bathroom and high noise levels. Regarding the noise, Luke Schoenberger ’27 said, “That is the biggest problem in this dorm. I’m in the dorm closest to the center of the common area where the laundry is. It’ll be like 2 a.m. I’ll just hear some kids screaming, especially on the weekends. I think that needs to be taken care of.”
Area Coordinator Dana Richards did not respond to requests for comment, while the floor’s resident assistant, Joe Weatherspoon ’27, declined to comment. After being asked if they received complaints about the issues, Residence Life stated it was not aware of such issues, saying “Our office is not aware of any newfound troubles with the first floor of Murphy Hall. If there are ever any concerns that may need to be addressed, we encourage residents to speak with their Resident Assistant, contact their Area Coordinator, or stop by the main office to discuss those concerns. If you are aware of any issues that a resident would like to address, I would encourage them to stop by our office so we can speak with them.”
This lack of awareness may stem from the fact that area coordinators would likely have trouble hearing such noise, since they are stationed in an office behind a door that separates them from the floor itself. Regulation would thus be more difficult.
When asked about the bathroom and its malfunctions, resident M. Ameen Sugapong ’27 said, “I think it’s just a facilities issue in general that extends in Murphy and beyond that should be addressed… Things like clean water and working pipes that don’t clog up or flood are sort of bare minimum facilities that I believe the school kind of has a responsibility to uphold.”