editorial: Maintenance must respect student’s privacy, safety concerns

Students are concerned about dealing with maintenance workers on campus.

Students have expressed concerns including delays in repairs, unplanned maintenance visits and unidentified workers.

It seems that students can’t readily identify maintenance workers as such, and the workers come into their rooms without them being notified beforehand. This disconnect between employees and students is a pressing issue because it makes students feel uncomfortable and, at times, unsafe in their campus housing.

Students want maintenance to be done in a timely and effective manner, but this doesn’t always happen. Students said work orders are not completed or it takes weeks to get repairs done. For example, when an apartment in Cokesbury Court Apartments flooded March 20, the students living there had to be relocated while it was being repaired. The students couldn’t move back until Saturday, so they had to room with friends or stay in a hotel for 10 days during the repairs.

Identification is key in making sure that students trust employees, and maintenance falls short in that department. With no required uniform for the staff, some students are confused about who is actually coming into their homes. Students reported earlier this semester to police that an unidentified man was taking pictures of windows in Cokesbury. The man was later identified as a facilities official, but had the man been wearing a uniform or a badge to inform students he worked for maintenance, the residents likely would have been much more at ease. This is something students have asked for from university officials, but maintenance workers still aren’t easily unidentifiable.

Students must be patient and respectful. Change doesn’t  happen overnight, and we must understand that maintenance workers are not being malicious in their actions. If we make an attempt to reach out and express our concerns, a positive outcome is much more possible.

Students should report every issue of concern in relation to maintenance and campus safety. Officials must address these issues immediately. Communication must be better to promote safety and efficiency when it comes to maintenance in campus housing.