This article was written by a real college student talking about their experiences with dorm life and facility management on campus.

As a college student in the Northeast, I struggled my freshman and sophomore years on campus to get work order requests resolved with ease. For the entirety of my freshman year, my roommate and I were living in a double bedroom within a dorm that was approximately 200 square feet. After a few weeks of moving in we noticed that the heater did not work properly. It didn't turn on even on the snowiest of days, where all I could dream of doing was cozying up in a nice, warm place. This left us – or I should say me – very cold. My roommate who was a New England native was alright throwing a few blankets on and toughing it out, while I was left freezing through the night.

I knew I had to do something about this issue –  so I found my university’s facilities line and gave them a call. Once the request was filed I was told that someone would come in promptly. The initial worker that paid us a visit left saying that "the heater was fixed" but in reality it was still not functioning. I called the facilities line again, asking for them to provide me with another solution.

The so-called solution arrived many weeks later after numerous visits from different staff. A maintenance worker came in, removed the thermostat, cranked the heat up, and advised us not to touch anything. This ‘fix’ transformed our room from an icebox to a sauna, depending on the weather outside. Our comfort remained compromised, and we couldn’t easily adjust the temperature according to our needs for that day. This became the standard for my experiences with dorm life during my time there.

I don’t blame the maintenance and janitorial teams, as I witnessed their personal efforts firsthand. I often think of Ivan, the kind Ukrainian custodian who cleaned our communal bathrooms. He had been at the school for 40 years and always made an effort to chat with students. One night, after a night out, the new white cowgirl boots I was wearing were ruined by a sticky basement floor. The next morning, as I was cleaning them, Ivan offered to help. He pulled out whatever supplies he could find and worked with me until they shined again. 

These small interactions highlighted the dedication and willingness to help of the facilities staff, but also underscored a glaring issue: the system itself was broken. In my sophomore year, I lived in a dorm again but finally had my own room. I was hopeful that I'd have a more positive experience, unfortunately, that was not the case. Towards the end of the year I noticed a leak from my roof directly above my bed. When it started off with a few individual drops, I called the emergency facilities line and received a message back that said they could come the next day. As the dripping continued, I had to sleep in my friend's room for the night because my not-so-innovative idea of taping a cup under the leak didn’t work so well. 

The next day a maintenance worker finally showed up at 11:30 pm. I felt for him – as he explained to me that his night was only getting started, and it seemed my last minute request had put him in a bind. He still had a massive project laying ahead of him which would keep him working into the early hours of the morning. His positive attitude amidst exhaustion made me wonder: could there have been a way for both him and I to have had a more comfortable experience?

In my time as an Intern at CrowdComfort, I’ve learned that by adopting smarter, user-friendly solutions, universities can make managing work orders a simple and easy process. While my school experience has been excellent and set me up for a great future, the facilities issues that existed caused unnecessary frustration. Just imagine a world where every maintenance request is seamlessly logged, tracked, and completed with clear communication every step of the way. A world where dedicated workers like Ivan are supported by technology that makes their jobs easier and more efficient.  It’s time for higher education institutions to embrace these advancements and create environments where both students and staff can thrive.

This article was written by a real college student talking about their experiences with dorm life and facility management on campus.

As a college student in the Northeast, I struggled my freshman and sophomore years on campus to get work order requests resolved with ease. For the entirety of my freshman year, my roommate and I were living in a double bedroom within a dorm that was approximately 200 square feet. After a few weeks of moving in we noticed that the heater did not work properly. It didn't turn on even on the snowiest of days, where all I could dream of doing was cozying up in a nice, warm place. This left us – or I should say me – very cold. My roommate who was a New England native was alright throwing a few blankets on and toughing it out, while I was left freezing through the night.

I knew I had to do something about this issue –  so I found my university’s facilities line and gave them a call. Once the request was filed I was told that someone would come in promptly. The initial worker that paid us a visit left saying that "the heater was fixed" but in reality it was still not functioning. I called the facilities line again, asking for them to provide me with another solution.

The so-called solution arrived many weeks later after numerous visits from different staff. A maintenance worker came in, removed the thermostat, cranked the heat up, and advised us not to touch anything. This ‘fix’ transformed our room from an icebox to a sauna, depending on the weather outside. Our comfort remained compromised, and we couldn’t easily adjust the temperature according to our needs for that day. This became the standard for my experiences with dorm life during my time there.

I don’t blame the maintenance and janitorial teams, as I witnessed their personal efforts firsthand. I often think of Ivan, the kind Ukrainian custodian who cleaned our communal bathrooms. He had been at the school for 40 years and always made an effort to chat with students. One night, after a night out, the new white cowgirl boots I was wearing were ruined by a sticky basement floor. The next morning, as I was cleaning them, Ivan offered to help. He pulled out whatever supplies he could find and worked with me until they shined again. 

These small interactions highlighted the dedication and willingness to help of the facilities staff, but also underscored a glaring issue: the system itself was broken. In my sophomore year, I lived in a dorm again but finally had my own room. I was hopeful that I'd have a more positive experience, unfortunately, that was not the case. Towards the end of the year I noticed a leak from my roof directly above my bed. When it started off with a few individual drops, I called the emergency facilities line and received a message back that said they could come the next day. As the dripping continued, I had to sleep in my friend's room for the night because my not-so-innovative idea of taping a cup under the leak didn’t work so well. 

The next day a maintenance worker finally showed up at 11:30 pm. I felt for him – as he explained to me that his night was only getting started, and it seemed my last minute request had put him in a bind. He still had a massive project laying ahead of him which would keep him working into the early hours of the morning. His positive attitude amidst exhaustion made me wonder: could there have been a way for both him and I to have had a more comfortable experience?

In my time as an Intern at CrowdComfort, I’ve learned that by adopting smarter, user-friendly solutions, universities can make managing work orders a simple and easy process. While my school experience has been excellent and set me up for a great future, the facilities issues that existed caused unnecessary frustration. Just imagine a world where every maintenance request is seamlessly logged, tracked, and completed with clear communication every step of the way. A world where dedicated workers like Ivan are supported by technology that makes their jobs easier and more efficient.  It’s time for higher education institutions to embrace these advancements and create environments where both students and staff can thrive.