Clean and Clear, or Not.
Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: News
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Senior Staff Writer
When Archana Vishwanath walked into her eleventh floor kitchen the other day, what she saw made her very angry.
It was about 2 a.m., and almost everyone at Hunter College's Brookdale Residence Hall was asleep-that is, everyone except certain lucky roaches that she found feasting on the leftovers in the kitchen sink.
Disgusted, Vishwanath left the scene. She recalled the encounter as one of the worst experiences she has had with cleanliness at Brookdale in the last two-plus years of living there. Generally, she said, the residence hall is clean. She gave Brookdale a score of eight out of ten for its cleanliness and hygiene.
Many of her peers agreed. "I would say the cleanliness level of the dorms is acceptable," said Melissa Long, 20, also an eleventh floor resident. "It could be worse," she added.
Rebecca Breech of the sixth floor concurred. "The conditions of the dorms could always be worse, or worse yet, we could not have the dorms at all," she said, echoing Long's feelings.
Still, for all the nods, roaches-in-the-sink-like encounters were frequent as well. Those who believed things could be worse also admitted that they could be better.
"I think that the dorms could be cleaner in some situations," said Breech as she recalled how the sink often floods due to clogging and the couches in common areas remain dirty.
Vishwanath also pointed out some recurring problems. "Almost every day as I walk into the toilet, at least one out of three toilet seats is dirty, with urine on top of it," she said.
Long added to the list. "I often see dirty dishes left for longer than just a few hours and the tabletops are left with remnants of their food. There is still hair left in the shower stalls as well," she said.
Sherri Sharbafan, one of the resident assistants, touched on other issues as well. "The chairs are uncomfortable and old. The bathrooms need to be mopped more because the floors seem really dirty. The ceiling by the showers needs a new paint job with paint that does not peel with moisture. The kitchen countertops need to be disinfected and cleaned more often," she said.
The dorm administration said it has received similar complaints.
Pamela Burthwright, the Director of Residence Life at Brookdale, said when residents inform the administration of cleanliness problems on their floors, the office takes steps to alleviate pressing issues.
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