Moldy, leaky bathrooms, silverfish infestations, and falling ceiling tiles are just some of the conditions underclassmen at the University of Vermont say they have been living in these last few years.”In one of these buildings, we had a submission of a literal mushroom growing out in one of the bathrooms,” said UVM junior Sierra Peacock.On Monday, a dozen Catamounts joined the UVM Student Tenant Union to speak in front of Burlington’s elected leaders and share experiences from more than 100 students living in the UVM dormitories, including Coolidge, Converse and Mercy Hall. Students say they have been working with UVM for over a year to find a way to improve living conditions, but claim their conditions have not been met, leaving them to turn to the city for help.Bill Ward, the city’s director of permitting and inspections, says student dormitories are not typically inspected by the city of Burlington and that the university has its own inspection program.He got an email from the university at the beginning of this year, as per the city code, that stated their residence halls were in “good shape.” Based on the pictures that students shared with the city, he said he is not so sure and says it could use an investigation.”From what I’ve seen, those things look like pretty clear violations. What’s the response?” Ward said. After students got their two minutes to speak, city council heard from the university, including from Erica Caloiero, with the Office of the President.”We’re always striving to improve our students’ experiences at UVM, as well as engage with students in dialogue and listen to their experiences,” said Caloiero.Ward 8 City Councilor Marek Broderick is a student at UVM. He decided to write up a resolution to get all parties on the same page. He said he hopes it will make a difference.”The resolution calls for bringing all the stakeholders together. That’s the universities, that’s the city, that’s students from Champlain and UVM, to bring us together into a room and figure out what research we need to do further,” Broderick said. The resolution will enforce city code and allow councilors to take tours of the dorms during winter break. It passed unanimously on Monday.NBC5 reached out to the university for comment ahead of Monday night’s meeting but they declined to speak with us.
Moldy, leaky bathrooms, silverfish infestations, and falling ceiling tiles are just some of the conditions underclassmen at the University of Vermont say they have been living in these last few years.
“In one of these buildings, we had a submission of a literal mushroom growing out in one of the bathrooms,” said UVM junior Sierra Peacock.
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On Monday, a dozen Catamounts joined the UVM Student Tenant Union to speak in front of Burlington’s elected leaders and share experiences from more than 100 students living in the UVM dormitories, including Coolidge, Converse and Mercy Hall. Students say they have been working with UVM for over a year to find a way to improve living conditions, but claim their conditions have not been met, leaving them to turn to the city for help.
Bill Ward, the city’s director of permitting and inspections, says student dormitories are not typically inspected by the city of Burlington and that the university has its own inspection program.
He got an email from the university at the beginning of this year, as per the city code, that stated their residence halls were in “good shape.” Based on the pictures that students shared with the city, he said he is not so sure and says it could use an investigation.
“From what I’ve seen, those things look like pretty clear violations. What’s the response?” Ward said.
After students got their two minutes to speak, city council heard from the university, including from Erica Caloiero, with the Office of the President.
“We’re always striving to improve our students’ experiences at UVM, as well as engage with students in dialogue and listen to their experiences,” said Caloiero.
Ward 8 City Councilor Marek Broderick is a student at UVM. He decided to write up a resolution to get all parties on the same page. He said he hopes it will make a difference.
“The resolution calls for bringing all the stakeholders together. That’s the universities, that’s the city, that’s students from Champlain and UVM, to bring us together into a room and figure out what research we need to do further,” Broderick said.
The resolution will enforce city code and allow councilors to take tours of the dorms during winter break. It passed unanimously on Monday.
NBC5 reached out to the university for comment ahead of Monday night’s meeting but they declined to speak with us.
