Mindy Krick is unhappy with dorm life at ULM.

“If and when I have children, they will not live on any university campus. If I have to sell my blood and plasma, they won’t live in a dorm because I know what I went through,” said Krick, a Baton Rouge community counseling graduate student.

Krick, a Breard resident, isn’t alone in her grumbling. While less than flattering opinions of the dorms aren’t unanimous among students, comparing them to ghettos is becoming a favorite pastime. Safety in the dorms is an issue, while some students describe them as an eyesore. University officials maintain the complaints aren’t ignored.

All the while, students are of one voice in complaining about at least one problem- air conditioning.

“It’s disgusting having to take a shower before you go to bed and wake up the next morning, having to take another shower because you’re drenched in sweat,” Krick said.

Students find no faults with the heating.

“When it’s cold enough and heat is turned on, the heat works really well,” said Becky Magee, Winnsboro mass communications sophomore, and Monroe Hall resident.

Students say they’re most ill at ease when the weather makes the passage from winter to spring.

“It’s hard to sleep at night when you’re sweating. Even having a floor fan wasn’t circulating enough [air],” said April Jeffcoat, South Carolina math senior, and Breard resident.

Residential life standards say a stable weather pattern must be established before cooling systems are activated. Students have no way to regulate the temperature, which is the same throughout any one hall.

According to students, maintenance will adjust temperatures when one complains. While the adjusted temperature accommodates one griping student, the remainder are not only irked-they are downright miserable.

 “I had a candy bar in here the other day. The windows had been set and the air conditioner had been on. The chocolate had melted,” Krick said of the muggy, sometimes damp, atmosphere.

Some students say complaints are exaggerated and scoff at comparisons to ghettos.

“If you’re looking for stuff to complain about you can find it, but the dorms are not as bad as what others might say,” said John Swope, Georgia music freshman, and Madison resident.

Swope says the only faults with his dorm are few electrical outlets and the non-stop need to pour Draino down the sinks.

Swope isn’t alone in defending the dorms.

“I have lived in really bad living conditions. When I go home, I live in a house that has no heating. I actually don’t mind it here,” said Sara Lewis, Australia nursing senior, and Monroe Hall resident.

Lewis says dorms are of remarkable quality when measured against the “roach motels” she visits worldwide.

 “Look, it’s college. If you’re going to live on campus, you’ve got to adjust.”

Jeffcoat recalls instances when residents saw their health take a bad turn, a problem she attributes to dorm conditions. Krick says she now has chronic bronchitis.

“We put cheese cloths over the vents to collect dust particles. The amount of stuff that comes off in a week runs wildly. It’s just nasty,” Krick said.

Krick has zero faith in officials to hear her grievances. She says her numerous complaints have only led down a dead-end road.

Residential Life, Krick adds, misled her parents by saying problems would be fixed within days.

 “I feel like I get the runaround when I call because I always wound up with a student worker. When you get hold of another person, they’re rude,” Krick said.

In response, Todd Godlewski, area coordinator for Residential Life, said, “I would sincerely appreciate her coming to me. Under no circumstances should anyone in our department treat any of the students with disrespect or give them a cold shoulder.”

Godlewski says he and other officials are aware of the complaints. He adds the temperature problem should be expected in buildings twice as old as most of the students.

Resolving the problem, Godlewski adds, has become a priority for the university, in addition to improving dorm security. Most residents feel safe, while others don’t.

After falling asleep one Sunday night, Lewis awoke to encounter an unwelcome visitor.

 “I was half asleep, but woke up to see someone leaving my room.”

Lewis, who always keeps her door locked, never determined how the person gained entry, nor if the person was a male or female.

“The room was dark. I happened to see the light from the hallway coming in through my open door and the silhouette of a person walking out of my room. Then the door shut,” she said.

Lewis commends the University Police Department (UPD) for being prompt in responding to her phone call the next morning. She barely had time to hang up her phone. But the responding officer could do nothing other than file a report.

While her locks have changed, Lewis’ sense of security has crumbled. Never too sure, she now checks and rechecks her locks every night before falling asleep.

Other students say security isn’t an issue.

“I know a few people that don’t lock their doors because they believe no one is going to come in and do anything,” Magee said.

Some students said the sight of a UPD patrol car in the parking lot is so common they seldom ever think about it. Doors other than front ones stay locked 24 hours a day. Room checks are made weekly. Additionally, every resident assistant (RA) is required to make nightly rounds throughout the halls.

Godlewski says plans are being made to install keyless entry locks for the doors, as well as security cameras.

Students interviewed made positive remarks about the dorms, such as their close proximity to campus and view of the bayou. But many said Madison, Sherrouse, and Hudson desperately need a face-lift. Godlewski recognizes the students’ complaints and says efforts are continuously made to paint doors and railings.

“There are other halls all across the state of Louisiana. If our students were to go to some of these other college campuses and see their facilities, ours really aren’t that far off,” he said.

Godlewski says university officials want hall residents to feel content.

“Believe me, the goal isn’t to bring students here, make them feel as uncomfortable as possible, house them in a facility that’s inadequate and ask them to be above-average students. That seems to be the kind of picture that’s painted, but that’s not nearly the case,” Godlewski said.

Krick submits her own suggestion for President Cofer and Vice-Presidents Bruno and Brumfield.

 “I would ask them to stay in a dorm for a few days and get the picture of where we’re coming from,” Krick said.

Godlewski says the idea has great worth as a promotional event. But he believes staying in the dorms for only a few days wouldn’t make a realistic impression of what dorm life is really like.

 Not all students share Krick’s perspective.

“I’ve met a lot of the faculty. I’ve talked a lot with President Cofer. I happen to like the administration. They’ve done a good job and improved the campus a lot between last year and this year,” Swope said.

Godlewski says incremental steps are taken daily to improve dorm conditions. He urges students to be patient and aims this message toward them:

“If you notice things, please bring them to our attention. Come speak to me personally. We’ll begin from this day forward creating a better place for them to live and reside.”