NMHU housing

[backslack]

I just moved to campus and I want to warn anyone that is contemplating moving on campus, THE COCK ROACHES ARE SO BAD AND THE WALK WAYS AND STAIRWELLS SO DIRTY. Rent went up but no relief from the bugs problem. You won't be able to use your stove or cupboards without getting sick. I had to put everything in plastic boxes. they are in my clean clothes. They crawl on the walls and over us at night. If you move they will move with you. they love books and paper and the glue used on the baseboards. They crawl out of the heat ducts and stove and out of the sinks. Beware.

[Lovely_Lily]

Not only are the cockroaches bad but so is the management. School officals refuse to do anything about the problem and is seems to be getting worse. It is becomeing a health hazard and a danger to my children. Complaints are being ingnored and some residents are even being intimidated with eviction. Things have come to far and some thing needs to be done. I can't even eat or shower here because the cockroaches are so bad.

[radioholic]

Lovely_Lily wrote:

Not only are the cockroaches bad but so is the management. School officals refuse to do anything about the problem and is seems to be getting worse. It is becomeing a health hazard and a danger to my children. Complaints are being ingnored and some residents are even being intimidated with eviction. Things have come to far and some thing needs to be done. I can't even eat or shower here because the cockroaches are so bad.

Thank you for responding. Please tell others to respond here and keep copies of any complaints. I want to start organizing to actually do something about this even if we move. it has been going on for a while because I was denied housing for over a year and was not told it was because of the roaches. They edited the other word in previous posts.I want to gather evidence, complaints etc and go to the press about what the university is putting its students through. We can post here without being harrassed because our school ids are not being used here. if we get enough complaints we will have sinificant evidence for out unanswered complaints especially if we sticjk together. The university is to serve its students not frisk us and hustle us out of our money. Higher education should not be about sublordship. We are here to get out of poverty not suffer because of our school taking most of our money and giving us slim to live in. The cost of room and board is higher than our tuition. Because of a shortage of professors and even professors leaving in the middle of semesters it takes us longer to complete our degrees. We are having to take out extra loans to cope with not being able to fix food and health problems. The place has only been sprayed twice since July some only twice in a year. many of us caught chronic bronchitus and then a respirtory infectiojn on top of that. We are having problems with gastritus, ashma and anxiety and insomia from roaches crawling on us at night. I understand students in othe rdorms have even made film's of the cock roaches only yo get kicked out. One stradegy I was told the university has been doing is turning people in to child services because they complained about the roaches or finding some other reason for kicking people out. they tried it with me but I fought back by sending mass emails. My place is spotless and I don't know anyone to have company. We can fight these tactics while we are looking for someplace else to live if we do it together. I am saving my roach hotels to give the president for christmas.

[Critical Thinker]

What you need is a true student's union. In the university system, the administration acts as the owner, and the teachers act as the managers. The students hold the relative position of the working class. In the case of the university, the profit is in prestige. They actually have no interest in providing the quality education they promised you. Poor housing conditions is only one way they have robbed you of that right.
Contact the IWW or the AFL-CIO to see who can help set up something. How would the administration react to your demands if Wobbly lawyers were crawling all over campus.

[What to do]

Call the San Miguel County Health Office, the NM Dept. of Health, call the City of Las Vegas Health Inspector, document the problem with a video camera and send it to Channel 4 News in Alb., send a report to the paper in Las Vegas, send it to your State Senator and State Representive, set up a big sign in your window saying your room is crawling with bugs and the Univ. won't help you.

Do all that at the same time and do it again and again every week until something happens. Take pictures and videos and send them everywhere.

YOu wonb't get any help until you start making it uncomfortable for the losers who maintain those buildings. It will take alot of work - afterall they don't live there.

[backslacker]

They sprayed and we all got bronchitis from it. The bugs have been scarce for a week now but now I am trying to get them to do something about the mold and the lack of heat in the back rooms. We pay the highest rent. I am not too popular because I have been raising hell about it. They used to just find a way to get rid of anyone that complained. I have been too sick to do much about this situation. the clinic on campus won't take my medicare and medicaide. I am on housing lists but my name has never come to the top. We did send a petition around and even the manager signed it. I have chronic asthma and bronchitis which without medical care means I sleep alot because that is the only way I have to get better. I sent a mass email to everyone so there are a few people that used to help me that won't talk to me.I told them to have these things in this condition denies me access to the university and I was shocked at the slum lord conditions especially for the family housing. I threatened to go to the press and the health department.that brought some maintenace this way but I heard other dorms went to the student union because they are under the same conditions. Out tuition and costs went up this semester to pay for the new dorms for the freshman. We saved our deaqd roach collection and had plans to give it to the president in a big holliday present but he took a personal tour with a group and the maintinance men have been here every couple days now. The manager actually did her job and did safety inspections for the first time I have been here. I flunked my midterms because I was denied some accomodations. I threatened to leave in the middle of my program and negotiated in progess instead of failing grades to stay in. I can't afford to move any where else and am waiting on housing lists to move so I hope they tackle the mold next or I will contact the health Dept and press. I'm pretty sure that I was denied accomodations because I raised a fuss about our housing conditions.You have to send copies of lettters to more than one person to get any where on this campus and in agencies who have reneged on promises. Really getting the run around and slow played. when I start feeling better I will start raising hell again but right now I have to get caught up with my studies because I am behind and the semester is ending in another month.If things don't get bettter I will include this discussion in my new complaints. sometimes the maintenance come over for 5 minutes in front of my window pretending to work and then leave. I had to get help to pick up the glass in the children's area and complain about the conditions of the laundry room which was dirty, with bugs and trash and the walk ways were disgusting. they say things are improving around here since my nighbors and I banded together and they couldn't kick us out althiugh they tried.

[Excuses-no more]

if the roach problem is so bad, do not complain just move out. i'm sure there are other places you could live in town. No more excuses! It sounds to me like you moved in on a problem already so don't think that it is going to suddenly change just be YOU moved in.

[rezlez]

You must be part of the problem to have such an attitude. We can and will force the university into changing the situation or we will sue. I am not alone in my distress. It costs money to move. I am too busy trying not to fail to move.My name has never come up on top of a housing list. I only get $600 a month on disability.The university should not be slum lords.I am stuck at this unversity for 2 yrs. I am on housing lists (10 years now)can't climb stairs. I use a cane & crutches. I came to NM to get away from molds. I don't know anyone so my name never comes up on the top.Plus I am physically unable to move by myself & have to pay someone.I used to live at the youth hostel but the city closed it.Enlighten me, where can I move to a place that will only cost $500 that is on the ground floor & is handicaped access? The school always gets their money first up front for housing leaving us months with no money unless I take out more student loans. Many have chronic bronchitus & illness from living in these conditions. As long as there is a shortage of assessible & affordable housing I get to do what I can to bring the university housing up to safe & healthy hud standards.We have a legal right to this. Where do you suppose we all move to when the health dept and press get ahold of this? a tent city? During the semester break the press & health dept should be notified. The university had plans to get housing for faculty but no mention of spending money to improve graduate and family housing who pay the most in rent.I am complaining not just for me but also for my neighbors who have been ill and especally others who have disabilities, chronic illness or children at the university.The university tries to kick anyone out who complains with trumped up BS and probably keeps their money while these apts stay empty. That makes the university slum lords & they will be held accountable.Propective students should be told before they get their stuff ruined by moving here.The new housing is for new undergraduate students because they can't keep them. We can't even keep professors and more and more students are dropping out in my program.There is a hiring freese, school jobs are being cut, Medicare and Medicaid have been cut while Santa Fe has their e 400 year 2 billion party with no receipts.This is supposed to be higher education not the lower slums. I have been ill since I moved to campus. The clinic on campus won't see me or take our insurnace. All the kids have had the swine flu too. My fellow classmates are barely making it &many are dropping out this semester.There are plenty of people getting paid that barely do their job at this university & yet the university is never late to collect our money or raise our rates. If we did move the bugs and mold would probably move with us.