Jacob Marrocco

 

KINGSTON, R.I. – There are always a few kinks to work out when it comes to opening a new building, and the University of Rhode Island Department of Housing and Residential Life saw this first hand when they cut the ribbon on Hillside Hall in Oct. 2012.
 
According to R.I. Central’s Maria Shanahan, Hillside was a $42 million project that started in May 2011. The structure is capable of holding more than 400 students and was scheduled to open on Aug. 23, 2012. However, undisclosed complications pushed that date into the middle of October.
 
When the residence hall began to host freshmen pharmacy and nursing majors last year, early structural problems were immediately noticed.
 
“Last year when I lived there my bathroom had a leak every single month [after] I moved in,” sophomore pharmacy major John White said. “My bathroom wasn’t the only one [that] had a leak, it was multiple bathrooms throughout the whole dorm that had a leak.  The security system in Hillside did not work properly, in which the doors were able to opened by anybody.”
 
White said that the security issues went far past just the occasional passerby strolling into Hillside. He said on one occasion that the alleged gunman involved in the shooting scare at John Chafee Social Science Center in April entered the dorm and had several questions answered about the inhabitants of the building, including their majors.
 
URI Assistant Director of Housing Charles Hall acknowledged that there are some minor issues that do not have a direct impact on the residence hall, but said the building is in excellent shape and “structurally sound.”
 
“There are no structural flaws in the building,” Hall said. “There are some stress cracks in the floors, but the structural engineer reviewed the buildings and the cracks and some of that is normal for the settling of the building. We opened the building and the contractor was still here and there were some things that were left undone, and they were following up on those.  That’s typical with any new construction.”
 
Hall said that in terms of security the residence hall is safe for its inhabitants, despite the fact there are some loose plugs outside the building that could be used for security cameras to patrol the area.
 
Hall said that while it was reported the alleged gunman from the Chafee incident did enter Hillside and ask questions of the resident advisors and walk through the building, there was a lack of proof and little could be done to defend against this.
 
“There was someone that was identified [who] was a gentleman but there wasn’t definitive proof that that was the person of interest elsewhere on campus,” Hall said. “Students are very welcoming so if there is someone tailing behind them [as they enter the building], they let them in. Students here will let anyone in, they don’t ask questions.”
 
Hall said there are no future plans to make any renovations or improvements to Hillside and that the building is fine in its current state.
 
“Right now, the building is staying as designed,” Hall said. “We’re not making any other changes."