Towers, maximum-security
prison?
Jeff Campbell
I have suddenly become aware of certain
issues that I, as a student of this University and a resident of the Moody
Towers, feel must be addressed.
I spent a generous amount of time attempting
to locate the appropriate person or persons to get in touch with about
my concerns, through searches on
the UH Web site, to no avail. I was somewhat
disappointed to find the Residential Life and Housing Web site has not
been updated in a year, and the
Residence Halls Association Web site is
currently unavailable for viewing.
How can a student possibly voice any concerns
about his or her current living situation if no outlets are available to
research the University's positions
and policies? A student should have a
proper outlet to these resources, and yet they are not available.
The Towers now resemble more a prison than
a residence hall, with security cameras, mirrors to view people walking
behind the desk assistant,
small doors to exit and enter through
and lights connected to the card-swiping machine to blink a bright green
or red light.
I don't remember students being informed
of any of these "improvements" prior to their being enacted. It's more
like a student walks out on a Friday
and goes, "Whoa! When did these doors
get here?" What is to be the next enforcement? Thumbprinting the students
to go in the Towers? Metal
detectors? Retina scanners? This is ridiculous:
I'm trying to get access to my room, not the Pentagon.
All these suddenly implemented features
in the Towers make it a hassle to travel freely. I am concerned that my
rights as a student, and more
importantly, my rights as an individual,
are being infringed upon.
Students have this common response to believe
that every policy the University places upon them is right and/or indisputable.
To those students, I say,
"Wake up!" Your money is what makes this
University go 'round. If you do not agree with what the University is doing,
speak up. It is not right for the
University to take away our special rights.
Something has to be done about the current
state of the Towers. The laundry facilities are horrible because the washing
machines don't drain and the
dryers take 99 minutes to even partly
dry the clothes. The walls are disgusting, the term "floor space" doesn't
exist and the floors smell. And we, as
students, pay how much for these rooms?
They spend more money on surveillance that isn't necessary than on improvements
that are absolutely
essential.
