RACKHAM: Dorm Room Dilemmas

The first time I stepped into Student Village II, my eyes started to tear up at the beauty of the building. Paintings, the fresh smell of a newly built hotel and comfy couches surrounded me as I walked around the lobby. After taking the gigantic elevators up to the ninth floor, I stepped into my friend’s room. With colorful carpets, spacious rooms and an unbelievable view, it’s no wonder every student on campus hopes to live there. Too bad that’s one of the only good dorms on campus.

There’s no denying it: Boston University did an excellent job building one of the most gorgeous dorms I’ve ever seen but it seems that BU put all of its resources and energy into that building and forgot about the rest of the dorms. Take Myles Standish Hall, for example. It’s a nice dorm (even though it could easily be mistaken for a nursing home) but it could definitely use a touch-up. One thing that would probably bug me if I lived there would be the rooms that have two singles and a double. People who live in singles have to exit their room by entering the double and then leaving. That would be quite annoying for the two people in the double who have other people walking through their bedroom every day.

Another big problem with BU housing is its guest policy and the fact that BU students who live off-campus can’t swipe into the dorms unless they are going to the dining hall. Every time I want to hang out in my room with friends that live off-campus, I have to sign them in. If I want to sign them in the following day, I can’t. BU policy states that you can’t sign in the same person two days in a row. Why is that even a rule? I just don’t get it.

Also, why are the housing prices increasing every year and how do they decide which room costs how much? What’s really frustrating is that BU will charge the same price for rooms in the same dorm even if the sizes of the rooms are noticeably different. For example, four of my friends lived next to each other in Myles Annex last semester but the two rooms, both of which were labeled doubles and cost the same, were very different sizes. One room was smaller than a double in Warren Towers while the other was triple the size.

While my list could go on and on, I have to admit one last problem I have with the dorms: lack of air conditioning. I don’t know if the administration thinks Boston doesn’t get hot during the year but it does. I know that because I probably lost five pounds in a week last September when my room was practically a sauna.

So, BU, you can brag about how amazing Stuvi II is but make sure you don’t forget about the other dorms on campus. They need help, too.