Unlike other first-year dorms on campus, College Street Hall, or C-Street, as it’s so affectionately called by its residents, has neither bells nor whistles to boast of. Housing a mere forty-four students, C-Street is a modest building on the outskirts of South Quad. Because of its small size, it seems as if C-Street gets forgotten when facilities management is making its rounds, leading to quite the deterioration of the dorm.
Plumbing and heating issues in C-Street foster an undeniably ideal atmosphere for mold, mildew and other questionable growths on the walls, in the carpet, and on most surfaces in the bathrooms and kitchen. In addition, rusty bathtubs occupy each restroom in the dorm. I don’t know about you, but I can’t picture anything good coming from a bathtub in a college, communal bathroom setting.
In addition to the issues of sanitation and cleanliness, C-Street is obviously lacking curb appeal, as Joanna Gaines would say. With broken window screens, sloppy landscaping and an outdated architectural style, this building is an eyesore, to say the least. Along with the obvious lack of pleasing outdoor aesthetics, the furniture is mismatched, some of the ceiling panels are missing and washing/drying machines aren’t dependable, as they often break down throughout the school year.
It’s evident that C-Street has needed a major physical glow up for years now. Yet, aside from the flaws and the grime, residents of C-Street are often ostracized from the rest of their first-year peers. While many students are willing to venture to Longden, Bishop Roberts, Humbert and Hogate Hall to socialize, seeing a group of outsiders head towards the pigsty that is College Street Hall is quite rare. Dorms are supposed to be homey environments where students can relax and unwind after a stressful day of classes and extracurricular activities, but returning home to C-Street at the end of a long day isn’t comforting at all when your living conditions are similar to that of a fraternity basement.
If the University doesn’t plan on updating College Street Hall anytime soon, I’d advise future residents to add Clorox wipes to their packing lists. They’ll certainly come in handy when mold starts spreading.