My Anger at My Dorm's Unsanitary Conditions (not student involved)
Jun 9, 2008 at 6:37 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 54

-=Germania=-

Headphoneus Supremus
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First of all, I should let you know that the university is very aware of everything present.

I would like you to see the pictures of what my ceiling looks like, pictures of the room across from me and my bathroom (which is 5ft from my room).

These pictures were taken at 12:30PM today.

My Ceiling and pieces of it on the floor (which fell even more later).
HPIM1396.jpg
HPIM1395.jpg


The Room across from mine ( the room was randomly catching on fire because of the pipes and has leaking down the walls). That green is mold.
She had to beg for weeks to be moved out at her own cost.
HPIM1400.jpg
HPIM1402.jpg


This is my bathroom. There is leaking from the bathroom above and the ceiling collasped ( I was the one who alerted them because I was about to go in and them the top fell). It has been like this for weeks.
HPIM1401.jpg
HPIM1397.jpg


These are some pictures of public areas.
Notice the beetles and giant cockroach.
HPIM1403.jpg

HPIM1407.jpg

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Not to mention:

-Everyone in the building is complaining of headaches.
-The building is at a steady 95 degrees because the boiler is still running
-I have been waking with he shakes, as well as other people.
-I get lots of ants if I don't clear out all of my trash every night
-I have had to kill 4-5inch Centipedes
-I have woken with tiny bites on my legs

The only reason my room is not absolutely horrid is because I spray my room weekly and the reason that the cockroaches will not come within 1ft of my room. I have seen 3 in my hallway at one time (a 15ft hallway).

Again, the school is fully aware and has taken a policy in the past of simply painting over it. Occasionally, there will be two lazy guys who simply stare at the holes and have done nothing whatsoever. The president of the dorm has gotten fed up as well as the rest of the residents and is sending pictures to the city because the university refuses to do anything.

It is ridulous and they charge us $12k/9mo in just housing to live like this.
It is not sanitary, it is not to code, and it is not safe.

Sorry, I am just really angry at the university about the bugs that are everywhere (including the ants and cockroaches).
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 6:49 AM Post #3 of 54
We can't - it is a contract we sign and the university has to approve your moving - and find you another place on campus. It would be hard to find enough places for 40 people.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 6:59 AM Post #5 of 54
Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif
We can't - it is a contract we sign and the university has to approve your moving - and find you another place on campus. It would be hard to find enough places for 40 people.


you know what to do for next term then
wink.gif

grab 8 of your favorate friends and rent a house - it should be cheaper anyways (wouldn't it? - I have no idea what rental prices are around that area)
Several of my friends rent a house among group of friends and they usually save around 20-40% in accommodation over dorms.

That dorm should be demolished....
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 7:27 AM Post #7 of 54
University is there to prepair you for the worst to come.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 7:51 AM Post #8 of 54
UNACCEPTABLE!!!! You must take legal action if nothing else works. I am really glad you won the CD player, after seeing your dreadful living conditions. And this is at Northwestern!!! What?!
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 8:13 AM Post #9 of 54
Quote:

Originally Posted by -=Germania=- /img/forum/go_quote.gif
We can't - it is a contract we sign and the university has to approve your moving - and find you another place on campus. It would be hard to find enough places for 40 people.


No contract you sign with them gives them the right to force you to live in conditions like that, especially with the mold causing headaches, and rooms RANDOMLY CATCHING ON FIRE!

Seriously, consult an attorney. The student association at my university has lawyers for this type of thing. I'd also try to contact the media.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 8:30 AM Post #10 of 54
Germania - you need to take this to your city or county authorities. First off, the fire marshal needs to take a look around. If you call and say that a room has been occasionally catching fire, they will be interested in that. There should also be housing/safety inspectors from the county. They will inspect rental units (even if the school owns them) and force them to make repairs.

You should also contact Illinois Legal Aid:

Illinois Legal Aid Online | Homepage

They probably have attorneys who handle landlord/tenant problems for little or no cost. They might even be able to break your contract with the school. I can't say for sure in Illinois, but many states have what's called a warranty of habitability. That's a set of basic conditions a landlord must meet to rent a unit. If those conditions are not met, you could have the right to legally break your contract. I can't say for sure, but I strongly encourage you to talk to Legal Aid or another attorney.

You might want to invite the local paper by for a writeup, as well.

Please, take some action. That looks awful.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 9:59 AM Post #12 of 54
A visit from the local Health/housing inspector and an attorney would no dough get eventual results but contacting a local newspaper that would publish a story w/photos would have campus maintenance people outnumber the cockroaches within 24 hours. Colleges hate negative publicity.
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 11:46 AM Post #14 of 54
Disgusting. That has to be against housing law or something. That would be unacceptable (illegal) if you were renting that as an apartment (Chicago has some good tenant rights), and you basically are, so I don't get how it even got that bad. Good thing you're moving out (I think) for the summer, right?

Here's a link that I use with some good info about landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities: Metropolitan Tenants Organization - Chicago, Illinois
 
Jun 9, 2008 at 11:50 AM Post #15 of 54
I say just contact a local news station or newspaper like some other people have said. Get them to do a report on it and you should get some quick results.
 

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