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In order to educate myself more about Lamson Hall maintenance issues, I spoke with a group of University employees who are on the front lines of keeping Lamson Hall running.

• Matthew Fitting, Dean for Undergraduate Residence Life, Associate Dean for Student Life
• Fitzroy Duncan, Assistant Dean for Residence Hall Facilities & Operations
• Jennifer Burrill, Assistant Vice President for Residence Life and Dean for Student Life
• Jaime Wright, Plan Services Director
• Steve Nash, Assistant VP for Facilities

Here are some relevant points I found out.

Simple repairs are handled by maintenance employees of the dorm.
According to AVP Burrill, these employees can do things like clogged sinks, clogged toilets, light bulbs that need to be changed, and squeaky doors or hinges that need to be tightened.

Work that requires special technical expertise is handled by the appropriate personnel from Plant Service: ex. plumbers, electricians, carpenters. The personnel from Plant Service also perform these services for Garland, Beechwood, and Maplewood Apartments, plus every other building on campus, so they are stretched thin, but they try to make a priority of addressing residence hall and apartment needs, as they recognize the importance of a good dwelling place. AVP Nash noted that the University has two plumbers and two electricians, and in order to have seven-day-a-week coverage they have three days a week with both employees working and three days a week with one or the other.

I asked Mr. Wright if two plumbers was a sufficient number for the campus needs. He replied that two plumbers might be enough if the dorms were newer but were probably insufficient for the current structures.

AVP Nash noted that there needs to be a short-term plan (such as the new bathrooms that were put in “Lamson East” a few years ago), to make current living conditions as good as possible, while also working on a long-term plan, which would (hopefully) include a brand new facility.

I asked about the cost of a new dorm facility. AVP Burrill said a study was done in 2008 which came up with a figure of 32 million dollars. The replacement structure, she said, might possibly be built for 450 residents rather than the 600 capacity of the current Lamson structure. Costs of a present structure of that capacity might come in around 50 million dollars, she said. Of course these are just “guesstimates,” and an actual figure would require a specific building plan.

Meanwhile, students can assist in the livability of the dorms by such small actions as keeping hair out of drains, reporting malfunctions with any laundry equipment (Dean Fitting mentioned that in December there’s supposed to be a software upgrade that will improve the apps used to monitor clothes in the washers and dryers, and include the ability to report malfunctions all in the same app. In the meantime, Dean Fitting passed on what the technician from the laundry machine company passed on to him and Dean Duncan: that the dryers are tumble dryers, and the clothes are supposed to have room to tumble around during the drying process. If the dryers are too full, the clothes are pressed continuously against the hot metal where the hot air comes in for the tumbling process, and burns may result.

I left the interview with the impression that all parties are highly concerned with providing the best living conditions possible for Lamson Hall residents, but are dealing with an old building, a bare bones staff, and (at least in the immediate horizon) lack of funds for a newer facility.

As far as the rumor of an actual toilet falling through a floor, that remains unconfirmed and seems unlikely, as there is a layer of cement between each floor.