By: Peter D’Avanzo

Physical Plant at West Virginia Wesleyan College, according to director Vaughn Hartley, has no standard response times in which students’ maintenance issues will be fixed. 

According to Hartley, work orders are prioritized based on the urgency of the situation. Broken windows, electrical problems, plumbing issues, and issues with smoke detectors are prioritized first. 

Other staff on campus, including teachers, faculty, and cafeteria staff also submit work orders which makes longer response times for everyone including students. Hartley states, “Issues are not responded to faster based on who submits the Work Order.” Students think that faculty and staff get priority over students because they have seen faculty and staff issues get fixed first.

A sophomore resident of Dunn Hall says he submits a maintenance request and will complain to housing about this issue because he knows that Physical Plant will not come in a timely manner unless he complains about it. Another resident of Dunn Hall reported a molding ceiling tile above their shower at the beginning of the fall semester and it was left unfixed for over 2 months. The same resident had their toilet stop flushing which meant they were unable to use the restroom in their room. For over 2 months this student has been breathing in moldy air, which is a health hazard and a safety issue. The student’s parents complained to the school about the issues in that room and Physical Plant is just now addressing a problem that should have been addressed months ago.

Physical Plant also gives no notice before arriving to fix the issue, they just walk in. Physical Plant could give a time estimate by giving notice at the start of the day telling students when they will begin to fix the maintenance issue in their room.