12
Closed for repairs
BY KIM O'CONNOR
Staft Writer
I'm sick and tired of Mary
Hobbs' reputation as being a dorm
filled with whiny, sniveling fe
males. A note taped to the dorm's
bulletin board called Hobbs resi
dents "spoiled brats" for wanting
our kitchen fixed. Even the
Guilfordian has made fun of
"Mary Hobbs boycotting a free
newspaper" because of the opin
ion expressed by ONE Hobbs resi
dent.
That said, I'd like to take a
little time to inform you why some
of Hobbs residents are so upset
about the way the administration
has ignored our dorm for the past
20 years.
Everyone is aware that the
kitchen is closed for repairs.
When school started, we were told
it should be completed by the end
of first semester. Now, all work
has stopped on the kitchen and
the completion date is in the air.
Why? Because the kitchen will
cost $200,000 to fix and Guilford
is "out of money."
It has been argued that
$200,000 is a lot of money, espe
cially when there are so many
other things on campus that need
repairs. I'd like to point out the
money is to fix not only the
kitchen, but the electrical wiring
and plumbing
(which both badly
need repair).
Besides, why
can't Hobbs be
fixed up a little?
This summer,
Binford got carpet
ing. In some rooms
in Hobbs, the floor
doesn't meet the
wall because the
building has
shifted (due to its
age). Binford also
got new air condi
tioners. The venti
lation in Hobbs is
awful; half the time
my room feels like
a jungle. English
got new furniture.
In Hobbs, the door
knobs are falling
off, the showers
leak, and the sinks
won't drain. Why
are these other
dorms so high on the priority list
while Hobbs hasn't been reno
vated since the 19705? Especially
when alumni who lived in Hobbs
give more money to the school
than anyone else.
I'll tell you why. Its because
our dorm is nice. We take care of
it. We don't throw up in the hall
ways, leave the kitchen a mess, or
steal the kitchenette appliances
(someone stole a microwave in
Milner last year). Why? Because
we are held responsible for our
dorm. We clean up after our
selves.
And boy, do we have to pay
the price. Mary Hobbs has been a
co-op dorm since its opening.
Guilford plays this to the hilt.
They show the prospectives
around on almost every tour.
We're still doing the work and
have nothing to show for it.
I'm tired of the Guilford
administration's empty promises.
So is the rest of the dorm, for that
matter. After the hall meeting the
other day, most residents decided
to take part in a campaign to raise
the money to fix the cafeteria our
selves.
So, before I hear another
word from any student about the
whiny, sniveling females in Mary
Hobbs, why don't you apathetic
losers find someone to make fun
of who deserves it?
"I DON'T REMEWSER NOT RECALLING MISTAKES THAT WERE MADE WITH THE BEST
OF WHICH I NEYER COMMITTEP, BUT WILL NEVER VO AGAIN'."
Forum
Dirty laundry
BY ELLEN YUTZY
Staff Writer
It's a strange world of craters,
floods, and sauna-like heat. A
breeding ground for horrible
smells. Dreaded by many, avoided
by few.
It's my Guilford College laun
dry room, and I'm not impressed.
The laundry room in my dorm is a
mess: The floor has actually col
lapsed under one washer, creating
a puddle several inches deep that
almost makes the washer inacces
sible except by wading. The floor
is always wet, slimy, and slick. If
you happen to drop a piece of your
clean laundry on the floor, you
might as well toss it back in the
washer and start over.
The combination of wet
clothes left unattended and forgot
ten by students and the near-op
pressive heat caused by the con
stant use of the dryers and poor
ventilation system leads to a smell
of mildew and microorganisms.
The dryers hardly work, tak
ing an hour or more to dry a load
of clothes and swallowing a small
fortune in quarters in the mean
time.
These are the things you have
to put up with if you actually get
to do your laundry. With 250 stu
dents and only four washers
(which means three may actually
The Guilfordian
September 19, 1997
function at any given time), it's
hard to even find a time when
there is more than one washer free
at the same time.
Really, four washers for 250
students? That's 63 students per
washer.
This summer Guilford spent
a great deal of time and money
making improvements on campus.
Now visitors will enjoy a more
beautiful and attractive campus.
On the other hand, they probably
won't visit the Milner laundry
room. It is not a scheduled stop
on the campus tour. It's just a
minor detail that affects the lives
of the students.
Nonetheless, the laundry
rooms are a problem which should
be fixed. Washers don't automati
cally leak. Floors which cave in can
be repaired. In fact, being con
stantly wet could be part of the
reason for the collapse of the floor.
The current state of the Milner
laundry room is unpleasant and
unhealthy.
On arrival day, my parents
and I explored Milner. When we
saw the laundry room, with a mal
functioning machine pulled away
from the wall and much of the
floor covered by puddles, we as
sumed it was a temporary prob
lem and was being addressed.
One month later, little has
changed.