Trafalgar Two issues causing grief for residents

STORY BY DEVON GENERAL
PHOTOS BY ROBERT SGOTTO

Sheridan is proud of its new residence building (known as Trafalgar Two), but not everything is rosy for the students who live there.

Cassandra Rice and Teeka Stryker, both first-year Visual and Creative Arts students, had myriad problems to report about their two-bedroom suite in Trafalgar Two.

“I moved into my room with sawdust all over the floor,” said Stryker.

But that was only the beginning. Shelving units in their bedrooms have been improperly built, resulting in wobbly shelves, if they’re present at all. The shelf in the kitchen sticks out too far from the wall, leaving the refrigerator jutting out into the kitchen space.

The wood panelling on the bottom of the cupboards is peeling, leaving a surface that can be easily tripped over.  Paint is also uneven and chipping in certain places.

“A lot of people don’t even have fridges yet,” said Rice. “They didn’t even know. It was from students emailing their parents and then the parents emailing the school.”

Students say residence staff left a plate of bagels in the lobby of the building as a way of apology.

Sawdust can be found on the carpets of the rooms, and using the air conditioning units causes water to drip from the ceiling next to the window. Rice uses a rag to catch the water and prevent it from leaking onto her carpet.

The common kitchen has only recently had ovens installed. Laundry facilities are not functioning, and the girls spoke of having to carry their trash to the garbage receptacles in Trafalgar One, as Trafalgar Two does not yet have a chute installed.

A displaced pipe causes a leak in the Trafalgar Two stairwell.

A displaced pipe causes a leak in the Trafalgar Two stairwell.

Multiple floors of the building have drywall mud patched carelessly across the walls and laying in hardened piles on the floor.

Rice and Stryker were surprised to discover that neither of has a mailbox, even though they had been told they had one to share.

They were also amused by the fact that most of the doors on the first floor have the peepholes positioned in such a way that only the shortest of people could use them effectively.

“It makes me really happy,” Rice said with a laugh. “If you’re ever having a bad day, just come down to this hallway.”

Bernard Dwyer, director of operations in residence, previously told the Sheridan Sun that Trafalgar Two is expected to be fully operational in early October.

Residents are still trying to settle in, while the finishing touches are being made. “Students have everything they need,” said Dwyer. “Sure there’s deficiencies and we’re working on them right now within the suites.”

For more on Trafalgar Two, check out the Sun’s video tour here, and an interview with residence staffers here.