Students residing in dorms find their maintenance requests ignored

Some students say that their complaints to Otterbein facilities are not being addressed properly or as quickly as they would like.

Sophomore Aine McGee, who is a resident assistant in Clements Hall says she'd rather not fill out service requests because of the lack of expeditious action from Otterbein’s Facilities Services.

“It has taken anywhere from two days to a month for my service requests to be fulfilled. When I first arrived in early August, the lights were burnt out in both third floor bathrooms and it took three submissions of work orders and an entire month for them to be replaced. Same goes for the handicapped sensor in the back of the building," said McGee.

Jim Smith, Assistant Director in auxiliary maintenance, says his busy schedule does not allow for any comment.

Tara Griffin in Otterbein’s Facilities Services says there is no set time for service requests to be fulfilled, "It depends because there’s different projects, and it is based on higher emergency. If it is heating, electrical, we have to handle that first.”

Griffin says students need to fill out a work order then call (614) 823-1300 to leave a voicemail stating the importance of their service request. She said many variables are involved, and leaving a voicemail helps the facilities services department decide which service request should be performed first. "I only answer the phone for emergencies,” she said.  

Griffin said that Smith can answer any staffing questions and students should reach out to him, yet he was unavailable. 

According to the Campus Life Handbook, Otterbein promises that resident halls are cleaned and repaired daily by the facilities services department. 

McGee said she hopes for better cleaning in Clements Hall. “I do wish there would be more care taken to cleaning,” she said when describing the vents next to the showers which are full of dust. 

McGee argues that it raises another possible safety concern for her residents. “That is a fire hazard, but cleanliness issues rarely get solved by maintenance.”

Caroline Rae, a sophomore living in Kerr Hall, formerly 25 W. Home St., said there’s mold growing on the ceiling of her room and the bathrooms. “It has been there since I moved in. They had people come and paint over it and fix our AC unit.”

Griffin encourages students to call (614) 823-1244 for cleaning services.

For more information regarding Otterbein’s residency expectations, students can visit Otterbein’s website.

[Editor's Note: The email address for Patrick Siconolfi, executive director of facilities management and planning, was removed from the story due to spam concerns.]

---