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An expensive, private university in Southern CA, USC is reported to have damp dorms that endanger health and safety.
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Daily Trojan USC.edu Thursday, January 31, 2008
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Shoddy lodging not what students deserve
Keaton Gray
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: Opinion
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Media Credit: Phillip Solis | Daily Trojan
While writing an essay recently, one of the ceiling tiles in my dorm room abruptly fell on my pillow. It sat there for a minute, vanquished, dismayed by its dirty remains that surrounded it. I set it behind the door.
I washed my sheets, getting rid of the crumb-like remnants from the square and hoped to collect some type of compensation.
Although somewhat distraught by the state of my living quarters, I knew my predicament was not unique.
I was one of about 200 students living in the building, so I knew there must be others who also shared my misfortune.
It did not take much research to learn about the water leaks in the basement and the water damage of top-floor walls.
Marks Tower is dangerously close to being untenantable.
As defined by the state of California's Law on Repairs, "A dwelling shall be deemed untenantable … if it lacks effective waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls" (CCC 1941.1.a).
Overzealous as the criteria might be, Marks Tower cannot be deemed satisfactory by its tenants.
Now, two months and nine ceiling tiles after the first tile fell, the stack behind my door is large enough to impede it from fully opening.
I remind myself that I do, in fact, live in a college dorm room. It is not the Ritz Carlton or the Four Seasons; shoot, it's not even a rundown apartment.
It is a dorm, and so, I try to maintain a reasonable set of expectations.
The staff is friendly and thorough, amenities are sufficient-there I have no complaints. Cable (even if it does follow Eastern Standard Time), reliable electricity and a warm shower right down the hall all serve me well.
There are even downsides that I can write off as a part of the dorm room experience, such as the damp, hot odor that rises from the trash chute.
It is a smell I imagine resembles the stench of a truckload of used diapers dumped out behind a McDonald's drive-thru during a heat swell in Tijuana. Musty trash chutes all over campus offer similar sensations.
But with nine ceiling tiles down and at least five more close to falling, it is an undeniable safety hazard. This is simply irresponsible housekeeping.
The few valuables that I own have experienced that danger firsthand as three layers of plywood and heavy foam teamed up with gravity to launch a full-on bombing campaign of my television and stereo.
Students who lived in student housing in past years have had similar health and safety concerns, as evidenced by the alleged toxic mold in Webb Tower that potentially caused residents to become ill in 2005.
This does not imply there is anything inherently wrong with TrojanHousing residencies, only that they suffer the same fate as all buildings: They age.
Without regular maintenance, any building will fall into disrepair.
Marks and Webb Towers were built in 1963 and 1972, respectively, and simply require some extra attention.
The quality of USC's amenities and residences ought to match the caliber of its education and overall experience.
With the total estimated cost to students living in USC-owned housing approaching $50,000 a year, students deserve decent housing.
- Keaton Gray is a freshman majoring in print journalism and Spanish. His column, "Gray Area," runs Thursdays.
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NoMoreSchoolMold
posted 1/31/08 @ 11:24 AM PST
Visit www.schoolmoldhelp.org, Information - Sick Building Symptoms, to learn why you should demand your money back and locate elsewhere. Dorms and buildings such as you describe are a threat to your health and life. (Continued…)
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