Not Old Dorms; Think Again

Colleges & Universities University of Virginia
1

I strongly advise any prospective students to consider all equal options before choosing to make UVA a home. The Old Dorms here SUCK! There is a reason they don’t take you on dorm tours when you visit the school because both students and parents would be appalled at what they see.

First of all, Old Dorms were build in 1950. That’s right, 66 years ago. It’s 2016 and they still don’t have Air Conditioning!! Not only does this make your living situation terribly uncomfortable but it’s also a huge inconvenience and not at all fair. All students living in Old Dorms pay the same amount of money for rent to live in a less than adequate living environment without the expense of the same utilities.

Here’s some of the reasons why UVA Old Dorms SUCK:

You Can’t Close Your Window:
Thought that summer was over so you could finally close your window and stop the mounds of dust from entering your room? Wrong! The buildings are so old and filthy that leaving your window closed for just a few hours results in nasty musty smells that simply cannot be healthy.

Dirt, Filth, Bugs, Everywhere:
Leaving the window constantly open means dust is filtering into your room by the minute. Clorox-wiping your room and vacuuming weekly isn’t enough to keep this nasty dust out. Not to mention, that’s all you’re breathing in while you sleep. Oh, and did I mention that the screens on the windows don’t even cover the whole area? Yep. That means bugs. Lots of bugs.

The Showers:
Love to take relaxing showers? Go elsewhere. These showers are peeling from the floors to the walls, and there is mold growing everywhere. Did they even get them inspected? Everytime I take a shower I see one of those thousand-legger bugs running around. It never fails. These showers are grosser than the ones at girl scout camp and those were in the woods. Please steer clear.

The Toilets/Stalls:
The same boogers have been on the back of the same two stall doors since the first week of classes. Clearly the cleaning service is not doing their job. Do you want to live in constant filth and nastiness? Come to UVA Old Dorms! P.S. the bathrooms aren’t cleaned on weekends… that means all of the drunken vomit, etc from weekends of partying stays put until Monday. Yuck.

Perks of Living in UVA Old Dorms?
MAYBE the location, but trust me it is not worth it. The extra 3 minute walk to Alderman Rd will save your health and sanity. These dorms are not habitable conditions and under no circumstances should students even be living in them currently. Look at all of your options and choose wisely!

2

UVa is spending $90 million to completely renovate the Old Dorms, including adding elevators and air conditioning. It will start this summer.

In any case, the Old Dorms have a great deal of character, and are very conveniently located. I lived there, and my son lived there. You can roll out of bed 5 to 10 minutes before many of your classes start.

The U. originally planned to demolish the Old Dorms and replace them. However, they studied the matter and concluded that the Old Dorms built in the early 1950s were in much better condition than the Alderman Road Dorms that were built in the late 1960s. Therefore, they demolished the Alderman Road dorms and replaced those first.

Many people like the very large windows, which can fit two fans. From September to May, the weather in Cville is usually very mild. However, you definitely do not want to pick a place to live in Cville during the summer that does not have air conditioning, because July and August get humid.

Before building the new new dorms, UVa surveyed students about what they liked in housing. Students reported that they preferred the hallways in the old dorms to the suites in the Alderman dorms. Therefore, the new new dorms were built with hallways similar to the Old Dorms.

3

Agreed that the location and hall-style of rooms is nice; however, the current condition of these dorms is not adequately habitable. There is mold, dirt, dust, and filth throughout the buildings, bathrooms/showers are falling apart, yet they expect students to live there and pay the same amount of money in rent as those with hotel-like rooms, AC, and no mold. There is a reason they are rebuilding them, but they are doing this one building at a time while still expecting students to live in poor conditions and pay the same amount of money. As a first year dorm resident, the above is not a bunch of made-up lies pertaining to the dorms. There is a reason I felt the need to warn prospective students because I would have chosen something else had I known how poor the living conditions would be.

4

Have students complained about this? The story you tell is terrible

5

You raise several issues.

The AC is not an issue except for a couple weeks of the school year. At least as of a couple years ago, many of the first year dorms at Duke also did not have AC, and it is much hotter in Durham. There are many other colleges that do not have air conditioning in many of their freshman dorms, including the college where my daughter attended. On the few exceptionally hot afternoons, she went to the library to study.

If there is any mold, that is a real problem, and should be fully addressed. It is a health issue. You should organize efforts with your RA and hallmates and complain to the housing office. In the meanwhile, I’d pour some Lysol on any area where you think there may be mold.

The easiest matter to fix is if the bathrooms are not being properly cleaned. Again, I would organize complaints. When I lived in the old dorms, the bathrooms became disgusting over the weekends, but that was the fault of the students, not the cleaning woman. She came in Monday morning and had to deal with our mess.

Complaining about dust in your room from open windows is not quite so valid. You live next to trees, not a stone quarry.

At any college, it is a good idea to wear flip-flops or shower shoes in the shower, to avoid athlete’s foot. I used to get in from my fraternity’s shower. Also, if you cannot tolerate conditions in the Old Dorms, I strongly suggest that you not consider living in a fraternity.

6

As another Old Dorm student, I can attest to the statements made above.

The AC is an issue as after two months into dorm life, the rooms are still smoldering hot when it hits 85 degrees by midday.

It is only because of the no AC that the windows have to be left open since the rooms are so intolerable (which it is 2016 I can’t believe they don’t have this basic necessity yet). With the windows left open, dust fills the rooms every second of the day. Students wouldn’t have to do this if they had air conditioners.

To speak for the mold, it’s visible bordering the piping. My roommate and I both submitted complaints to which we were told that it was an old building and not a big deal. My dad came and checked out the room and saw the mold for himself. Not sure what other options there are but these are not situations students should be put to live in.

I definitely agree all students should wear shower shoes no matter what. There is no avoiding that. However, the filth and dirt and mold is unacceptable. I totally understand wanting to keep the historic, classic look of the Old Dorms…but this is really bad and nothing is being done despite student complaints. And it is that bad, I LOVE UVA, but I would have chosen another school of similar academic level had I known how bad the living situation would be.

7

Any there any other persons with 2 previous posts who want to agree with you that dust is a major problem?

8

My daughter currently lives in one of the Old Dorms, & I can attest to the original post’s statements regarding the horrible living conditions - humidity, mustiness, dust, stifling heat (which can only be alleviated with open windows & constantly running fans). We frequently visit & just visited her this weekend (mid October), and it was in the 80s!!! So for many who continue to say that you would only need fans in August/September & May - are pure lies.

The first week she used the showers, there were a few (2-3) dead cockroaches & bugs in the shower stalls, plus peeling wall paint & some mold. It was unsanitary looking, but what can one do?.. she needed to shower. The toilets & doors are often filthy (much attributed to students who forget to flush (??) & possibly inadequate cleaning efforts by custodians). The floors upon move in were dirty & remained so even after cleaning it with bleach & cleaner (dirt & smudges were permanent).

When we moved her in August, the heat was so horrible in there that every person was sweating profusely just moving stuff around within the rooms. But we were all led to understand that this oppressive heat will only last for 2 months of the school year, & Fans will be enough. Not True.

My daughter & everyone had to endure nightly sweats while they slept in their Beds for most of August & September…Keep in mind they had 2 window fans, & 2 Floor circulating Fans as well… Is that appropriate living conditions? I don’t think so.

The biggest problem I have as a parent is that total costs for Room & Board are the same for All 1st years! This is ridiculous, unfair & inequitable. Especially when you have brand new Hotel-Like Gibbons right nearby - AC, hardwoods, clean bathrooms & rooms!!! If there was a cost differential offsetting the obvious inequities & unreasonable living conditions that Old Dorms students have to endure, it “may” help the suffering a little. But for this to go on for the another 3-4 years of incoming 1st years, it doesn’t help. And in 2016, it’s crazy.

And for the Administrators not to provide for a decreased cost of living for those assigned to Old Dorms, is irresponsible & unreasonable. Closer proximity to Lawn doesn’t really compensate as the original post said above, because another 3-5 mins walk to Grounds is not enough to justify the cost they’re charging Old Dorms.

Also, if the Old Dorms has such character & historical charm, why do they decide to house all the Echols, Rodman & Jefferson Scholars in newer, w/ AC Balz-Dobie? Why don’t they put the scholars in Old Dorms?

If the Admins continue to tell parents & students that it is character building & you get to live in historical buildings, they should be allowed to live there for 1 week in August, just to see if they can handle the living conditions placed upon the Old Dorms 1st years.

Obviously, one can only complain, as there is nothing much the students can do except to continue to overcome the living conditions & join in the camaraderie of fellow Old Dorm “sufferers”. Old Dorms has charm for sure, but let’s not let everyone be made to believe it’s not all that bad. While some students actually don’t mind Old Dorms, most of the students just get used to it & can’t wait for 2nd year housing where they can get minimal comforts again like AC & clean bathrooms & cleaner rooms!

9

Unfortunately, there has been other UVa housing that was not in great condition in the year right before it was completely rehabbed. It would have been nice to have had the old dorms rehab start before 2017, but apparently they had trouble determining how to best get air conditioning into the buildings. Also, the state has been pushing UVa to increase its incoming enrollments in phases, so there has not been much spare housing that could be shut down during the school year for rehab.

I still think it is interesting that all 3 screen names who provided the same comments on this thread each have only 2 posts.

10

I think it is a bad situation but people all deal with it differently. My son has numerous friends in the old dorms and he has visited and stayed overnight about 4 times the past 2 years. They all complain more about the food honestly than the dorms. Last year though was a cooler Fall and Spring so the heat was probably far worse this year than last year. Perhaps an electronic air cleaner would be helpful for the dust and pollen coming in through the open windows?

11

The ‘Old Dorms’ are not that bad. Our kid and her friends still tell their friends to choose them if possible over the newer dorms on O-hill.

12

Just to clarify, UVa does not let students choose their first year dorms. They are randomly assigned on purpose, because UVa wants everyone to live with a diverse cross-section of students. When students used to be able to submit a preference, certain types of people asked for certain dorms, such as many engineers asked for a particular complex.

You can still choose your own roommate.

13

My son lived in the old dorms and enjoyed it. In fact, it was his first choice. I’m sure he missed the A/C (although he really only needed it a few weeks in the fall and maybe the last week or two in the spring) but he loved the hall-style living and made some great friends. The location was perfect - and he never regretted living there.

14

I have two UVa daughters. The first one was an Echols Scholar. As a first year, she lived in an old new dorm (with all the Echols scholars). It was nothing to write home about to say the least. Her dorm building was torn down within days after she moved out. The whole time she was there, she had the view–and accompanying dust and construction noise like trucks backing out at 7 am every day–of a new dorm being built. But she rarely complained and was just fine…better than fine. She had a fabulous year! My youngest daughter lived in Old Dorms last year as a First Year student. Compared to her older sister, she was in heaven (and she faced a pretty green cemetery :wink: ). So neither of them got lucky with a new dorm and neither of them had A/C. Both my daughters were pampered growing up. Even so, the dorm situation was completely bearable. Yes, some of their friends got lucky with the brand new dorms, but so what? You win a few/you lose a few. In the grand scheme of things, it was no big deal. They had great years, and a few fun stories to go with their antiquated and less than perfect living situations.