Story by Bailey Bohannan, Staff writer

When the Spring 2016 semester began, maintenance problems across campus were brought to students’ attention and have not yet been solved because the weather has not permitted.

Students approached Robert Gomez, Student Government Association senator for Franklin Residential College, about maintenance problems they noticed around campus.

“Usually, what they come to me with is little maintenance issues,” Gomez said.

Gomez said he has recently been hearing complaints from students about the paving near the bridge, the landscaping around the Curris Center and outside lighting around residential colleges.

Regarding internal building problems, he said he has heard complaints about the lack of hot water in the older buildings on the academic side of campus, such as the Business Building.

Gomez said a recent student concern on the residential side of campus is the potholes and lack of speed bumps because of the snowplows taking out the speed bumps after the January snowfall.

“Whenever there is a snowstorm and they are plowing the snow, they just take out the speed bumps and there is like pieces everywhere,” Gomez said. “What good does a speed bump do if people just drive around them?”

At Facilities Management, David Burdette, interim chief facilities officer, and Dennis Trantham, assistant director of grounds heavy equipment, said most of the issues that students are coming to the Student Government Association with are weather-dependent.

“I would think as the weather permits, in these next coming weeks, some patching work being done throughout the dorm circle and speed bumps being replaced,” Trantham said.

The Curris Center landscaping is another concern Gomez said students have come to him with. Gomez said he thinks this is a highly important area to improve because it is the first impression of Murray State potential students get, and the lack of upkeep of the landscaping could affect Murray State’s marketing.

As the weather begins to warm up, Burdette said there are plans to replant the flowerbeds around the Curris Center.

Despite the addition, Gomez said the concrete slab has made the puddle that usually exists in that area even worse.

“I think the little piece that they put in is actually making it worse because it kind of just moves the puddle, it does not really solve the problem,” Gomez said.

Facilities Management said they have just heard this problem and they said they do everything they can with the issues they hear from students, but communication is essential in having problems resolved.

“There is no stupid problem,” Gomez said. “If you have an issue, I want to know about it.”

Burdette said he encourages students to email Facilities Management or call their office with comments or suggestions.

Gomez said he encourages students to come to the Student Government Association meetings or find their student senator and let them know what issues they are noticing.

“SGA is that bridge for the students,” Gomez said. “I want people to know that if there is a complaint, there is a way to fix it.”