On move-in day, JDUC residents encountered an out-of-service elevator, inoperable due to ongoing construction.
The University welcomed 4,700 students into 18 residence buildings across campus, including the new JDUC residence, on Aug. 30 and 31. While the JDUC’s residence opened its doors to students, the rest of the building remains closed after its grand opening was pushed from May to November.
READ MORE: JDUC opening postponed until November
JDUC residents have raised multiple complaints about laundry machines and elevators not working in the revitalized building, Allen Wu, chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Residence Society (ResSoc) said in an interview with The Journal.
“I don’t think that it is acceptable that these promised features are not in place yet,” Wu said.
Wu’s advocating for JDUC residents and bringing their concerns to the University.
Residence Life & Services, the University office that manages the residence buildings, claims no issues with the laundry machine have been reported to the residence facilities team or Coinamatic, the equipment supplier.
“Coinamatic reports that there have been more than 60 transactions on the laundry app since Aug. 27, and remote equipment monitoring has shown all machines are fully operational,” Residence Life & Services said in a statement to The Journal.
Residence Life & Services also claimed, prior to move-in, they warned residents about the non-functioning elevators.
“On Aug. 27, Residence Life & Services advised all students moving into JDUC that the elevator was not operational. In this communication, we let students know we would be in touch when more information about the elevator is available. We continue to work closely with the university facilities team and the general contractor to confirm a timeline, and we hope to be able to communicate further details to residents next week,” Residence Life & Services said.
Additional volunteers were on site to help JDUC residents move into their rooms, they added. Residence Life & Services encourages students to submit a Maintenance Request Order Form if they encounter any issues with their buildings.
While some students experienced difficulties while moving into their dorms, positivity, and excitement still permeated the Queen’s campus on Aug. 30 and 31, Ann Tierney, vice-provost & dean of student affairs said in
a statement to The Journal.
“There’s an atmosphere of excitement and positivity for residence move-in, and that doesn’t happen by chance,” Tierney said.
For Leah Wales, executive director (housing & ancillary services), move-in went smoothly.
“We are pleased with how well the move-in process went this year. Housing and Ancillary Services once again worked cooperatively with the city, local police, and traffic specialists on the plan to promote traffic flow, mitigate the risk of disruptions to the community, and maintain public transit and emergency vehicle routes throughout the weekend,” Wales said in a statement to The Journal.
Residence dons, upper-year students that foster community and ensure the safety of students in residence, orientation leaders, varsity athletes, and of the Queen’s community also helped students move into their new homes on campus.
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