North Texas Daily

Linda Kessler / Intern Writer

If you search social media sites, such as YikYak and the UNT Facebook app, you will see dozens of students who have plenty to say about dorm life at UNT.

Students have now been in their new homes for almost a semester and have some hard opinions on their experiences thus far. Complaints range from being unable to loft beds, to the number of washers and dryers available per floor. But by far the most common quibbles are about the hours of the campus cafeterias, the availability of hot water and the dorm room temperatures across campus.

“Each Kerr floor has one washer, but two dryers. I don’t see the logic in that,” Kerr resident and biology freshman Jessica Jones said.

A limited palate

Students using the YikYak app, which provides anonymity, have been more than willing to speak out. A Maple resident using the app said that their experiences are all right, but they find being unable to loft their beds ridiculous, as it only crowds rooms.

Victory residents using the app have said they are upset that CHAMPS cafeteria isn’t open on the weekends, meaning residents of the isolated dorm have to go all the way across the highway to eat on the weekends, because Kerr Hall is the only cafeteria open.

Despite living at Kerr herself, psychology junior Kenya Harrison said she doesn’t like the weekend limitations.

“I also wish I would have known that Kerr was the only hall open on weekends before obtaining the seven-day meal plan,” Harrison said. “If the food was better and they had more variety, I wouldn’t mind them being the only cafeteria opened late and on weekends.”

Cafeteria operations manager Shohreh Sparks said this helps contribute to some of the cheapest meal plans in the country. Sparks said not everybody has the seven-day meal plan, so there’s less population on the weekends and that’s why only one dining hall, Kerr, remains open.

Kerr resident and broadcast journalism freshman Christian Hamilton said he doesn’t mind Kerr being the only cafeteria open on the weekends. However he does wish that it was open a little later than 8 p.m. on Friday and Sunday nights.

“The operation hours are suggested by the students. Kerr is the biggest cafeteria, with multiple lines to offer more choices,” Sparks said. “CHAMPS is open until 8 p.m. and we have never had a request for later hours from Victory hall students.”

Temperature control

While there is no shortage of opinions on UNT cafeterias, some students feel there is a shortage of hot water and warm temperatures in dorm rooms.

Facilities director David Reynolds said the residence hall and maintenance staffs work together to make sure students have a good experience in the dorms. Problems emerge from time to time, but they do their best to quickly fix any issues.

“Residents essentially have access to a constant supply [of hot water],” Reynolds said. “The boilers which create the hot water are inspected each morning to ensure the residence halls and kitchens have hot water available at all times.”

While Reynolds assures students that the hot water is being routinely checked, some aren’t so sure about the temperatures.

“I feel that dorm housing is convenient. However, I don’t like the temperature of the water and the shower heads,” Harrison said.

Jones said her roommate gets stuck with cold showers.

“College Inn is ridiculously cold. My temperature was 55 degrees when I finally got a thermometer,” College Inn resident and psychology sophomore Serina Limon said. “The humidity was awful. My clothes were damp and someone else got mold.”

Limon isn’t the only student to protest cold temperatures in on-campus housing.

Some of the lower floors of Kerr can be pretty cold, Hamilton said.

Harrison agreed and said she wished Kerr had the capability of individual room temperature like Victory does.

Reynolds said different buildings simply have different thermostat systems.

“The resident room set points are 70–76 degrees, and the design of the heating systems varies in some of the residence halls,” Reynolds said. “For instance, in College Inn, the building can only be in cooling mode or heat mode, not both at the same time. Kerr, on the other hand, has a more robust system and can cool some areas of the building while heating others at the same time.”

If residents are too cold, Reynolds said, they need to let their front desk or hall director know so they can take the necessary actions.

Similarly, students with concerns about food and dining may speak out by going to the Food Advisory Committee, which is a group of students that meets monthly with the executive dining team to discuss their questions and concerns.

Students walk toward the north entrance of Kerr Hall. Kerr has the only dining hall that is open on weekends and after 8 p.m. on weeknights. Photo by Josh Knopp – News Editor