The following is an opinion article and opinion articles do not reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo.

As residents entered through the front door of Barbara Greenbaum House at Newcomb Lawn, they were met with unfinished, bare walls and a sea of furniture wrapped in plastic. The industrial-looking design of the Greenbaum House has been left unrefined and incomplete.

When finished, the students residing there will enjoy the luxury of suite-style bathrooms, linoleum flooring, new mattresses and state-of-the-art technology. Currently, however, there are rooms missing key components such as recycling bins, toilet paper dispensers and cable boxes. There is also no place for residents to deposit their trash. Without these amenities, living in Greenbaum is not only hard, but also aggravating.

Director of Housing Kim Montague said he did not know when Greenbaum House would be completed. He said that a lot of what is left unfinished is cosmetic, such as unfinished painting, some flaws in the exterior and the unfinished instructional kitchen on the first floor. The university promised students this building would be finished upon their arrival. This failure to finish a residence hall on schedule reflects the university’s irresponsibility when it comes to construction projects.

Students moving in early faced blocked-off sidewalks and accessibility ramps. The outdoor concrete had yet to be laid, requiring residents to lug their heavy boxes through the mud and up the stairs in lieu of rolling their carts up the ramp. Students are rightfully frustrated with administration over all the wasted time and effort over a project that should have been finished weeks ago.

The door keypads that allow students to enter their rooms with their Splash Cards and a four-digit code run on the Tulane Wi-Fi system. Students living in Greenbaum have to be especially concerned with the spotty Wi-Fi. There is nothing more absurd than seeing a red light flash on your door and knowing you have to wait ten minutes before you can attempt to re-enter the room. This is a hindrance to many aspects of student life, including academics.

As inconvenient as the current problems are, there is little reason to believe that these issues will evolve into long-term problems. Hopefully, in a few weeks, the residence hall will be completely livable and thriving. Even with a certificate of occupancy, however, students should not have been allowed to move into an incomplete project for the sake of their health, safety and peace of mind. 

Racher Schor is a freshman in the Newcomb-Tulane College. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].

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