COVID-19 is not the only reason to wear a mask on campus this year. Not only are freshmen being welcomed to the dorms this year, but so are various viral and bacterial infections. College freshmen are barely young adults living on their own for the first time. While taking that leap can cause some disorganization, it is not enough to breed viral and bacterial infections. Coming from a college freshman, most of my peers and I can handle basic living responsibilities. But, add an under-maintained old dorm building to the equation, and that’s where we can find several students getting sick. Here at VCU, it does not just stop at the popular Gladding Residence Center building. While specifically, GRC is the newest building on campus, it is also the most crowded. The term “GRC cough” has recently gotten popular among freshman dorming on campus.
Earlier in the year, I got really sick out of nowhere. After only a few days of being on campus, I got really sick after less than a week of living in my dorm. The night before classes, I was rushed to the hospital for a 104 °F fever. I went home for two weeks instead of staying in the shabby isolation dorms on campus. After several tests of all sorts of types of flu and viruses, plus several COVID-19 tests, it was found that I had contracted an airborne viral infection after only a few days of living in the dorms. Speaking for myself, I personally feel robbed of the first two weeks of my freshman experience. While I am sure in the grand scheme it is nothing too special to miss, it was still my first two weeks of college and I missed it completely.
This set me back socially as a freshman still in the midst of meeting all new people. I am also considered a first-generation student on campus, so it definitely took a little bit of extra work for me to learn my way around a college campus on my own. This is not the first time I personally have fallen ill due to the negligence of VCU dorms. Speaking for myself, I have had an on and off cold the first month of classes. After a few weeks of being on campus, I recently went home and discovered that this bizarre cold that I had was a bacterial infection forming.
Similar to a strain of strep, I had contracted a viral, bacterial infection, most likely from the dorms and now I have to take short-term medication. I am not the only one that is frustrated with VCU housing. My hallmates in Rhoads Hall are also suffering from dorm illness. A student I know personally went home recently due to a general viral illness. One of my friends from GRC has a similar strep-like bacterial infection. Two of my friends from the Johnson building were recently mysteriously sick. Even more, students that I do not know personally are sick.
After being initially fed up with being sick during my first two weeks of classes, I did a floor tour with the head of housing. I found extremely dusty air vents, sediment-filled shower heads, an unreliable air conditioning system, unchanged air filters, moldy showers, and unmaintained bathrooms. Several of my hallmates and I have continuously sent in work orders. So much for maintenance; it is lucky for anyone to hear back after a week. Despite several complaints, there has barely been improvement in the somewhat dangerous dorm living conditions. Feel free to call me dramatic, but I personally am fed up with constantly being ill. I also fear for my peers with immune issues and disabilities. Clearly, the VCU dorms are subpar at best. Even for the low expectations of a college dorm from a college freshman.