Hello everyone!
I have pretty bad asthma that tends to get worse in older buildings due to dust and mold etc. so I’m a little worried about the dorms. Hiking across the giant campus is already gonna be a bit of a challenge, so I really don’t want to already be wheezing before I’ve even left my room.
I was considering central or sw, but I know they’ve been around for a while and I feel like that could be a problem for me. The honors dorms are newer and seem like a safer choice but I’m not in the honors college, so I don’t think I have a great chance at getting a room in there.
So I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with this and can either assure me the older buildings won’t be a problem or confirm my concerns and give me some advice.
Also, what’s the possibility of getting into the honors dorms if I’m not in the honors college? Would contacting someone about my health issues help me get accommodations and a better shot at an honors dorm?
Thank ya!!
Given your asthma I think you want to live in housing with the best indoor air quality, but perhaps you’re reading too much into the age of the building. Unfortunately new energy efficient housing often has worse indoor air quality than older housing which can breathe like a sieve. An anecdotal story: when I was in the process of purchasing my existing house some evidence of mold was found in the basement area. I hired a highly regarding mold/indoor air quality expert for further inspection. The first question he asked me over the telephone was how old is the house, I told him it was built in 1920, he replied I don’t expect to find a serious problem, those houses breath (for better or worse in regard to energy efficiency). He indicated it’s the new air tight construction that often has more serious problems. I was surprised but he explained that when moisture does gets in or develops, which it often does, the homes are so air tight that mold and air quality problems are often more significant. See link
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/20/energy-efficient-homes-could-worsen-asthma
Well, if you’re asthma doesn’t get triggered by the smell of weed, then you should be fine in SW or central. But you’re particularly sensitive to that smell, I would suggest just O’Hill if you’re okay with the walk. Northeast would probably be your best bet, but if you’re not into older dorms, that won’t work for you. I would suggest sending an email to the dean of students to see if they can get you in touch with residential life (yes, go this specific route, because there are cases where the dean of students may be able to override something if res life says no for whatever reason). It’s possible to get into the honors college without being in it or without someone pulling you in, but it’s generally very rare for it to happen and would normally require an extenuating circumstance.
Contact the office of student disabilities on campus and discuss your concerns with them. Find out what might be available to you in terms of housing accommodations. For example, can you get into the honors dorms? I know that, at a minimum, you can get a dorm room without carpet.
https://www.umass.edu/living/assign/medical-accommodations
It’s also possible to be assigned to a dorm that’s closer to your classes, if that helps. And UMass offers a free shuttle to people with disabilities who can’t walk to their classes, if that might help you as well. Talk to disability services, figure out what can be done.