<p>i wrote a few days ago, and got no responses and almost no "views". the story of my friend and his daughter at Mercy Hall gets worse, and i'd really appreciate any feedback from current students or alumni. my friend emailed the office of residential life explaining the dark, winding, very remote location of this dorm.( off a main, public street, with few blue lights, at a mile or so from campus, classes, etc.) he also discovered that UVM has no security officers of their own, but that the police in the town of Burlington cover the campus. my friend had also stated the poor food conditions "out there" by this dorm(and one other.) they get no reduction in cost of meal plans, yet get no real food unless they hop a bus for a ride to the real campus, dorms and food, which i've said earlier stops at midnight.
today he got what he described as a "snide", sarcastic reply from the office of residential life; they ignored his food concerns and said they referred his letter to the dept. of crime and safety. they said he shouldn't worry, as his daughter could sign up for a class "right there, on her very own campus"for self-defense/rape prevention!!!!!! something's really wrong with this!!!! i wonder if books like college p--w-er and others consider this in there "safety" rankings? i hope SOMEONE out there can help me, so i can advise my friend.</p>
<p>My daughter started there two weeks ago and is very happy and feels safe. She is in a dorm that is very centrally located. I will ask her about the dorm your friend's daughter is in. I thought my daughter got the short end of the stick! Her room is tiny, but your friend's situation is obviously worse. </p>
<p>I know they are very liberal about room changes at least for the next week or so. Maybe there is a bulletin board on the website or she knows someone who would like a new roommate in a more desirable dorm?</p>
<p>I just spent some time on the school website looking at maps, etc... That dorm is a little off the beaten path, but it is only 1/3 mile (about a six minute walk) from my daughter's dorm. She hasn't complained at all about any distance issues (and trust me, if she was put out, I would hear about it!) and I know she is right near the dining hall-Maybe your friend's daughter was (understandably) just a little jittery. Hopefully, she is feeling better.</p>
<p>thanks so much, firsttimelisa! as this isn't my daughter, and i'm getting this third-hand, it's hard for me to know for sure! my friend continues to say his d. is a 40 min. walk to the farthest campus( apparently there are 3 of sorts) where a dining hall and athletic facilities are. there remains confusion re. campus security, too. they apparently don't have their own(less intimidating) campus security, but have an actual sub-division of the Burlington police on campus. the kids, i'm told, don't call them for safe-night rides as they don't want to be involved, post-party with real police. this is all i'm being told. BUT THANKS FOR RESPONDING! i'd apprfeciate any more news. i'll pass all this to my friend.</p>
<p>From the UVM Police Services website (<a href="http://www.uvm.edu/police/?Page=about/policies.php&SM=about/nav.html):%5B/url%5D">http://www.uvm.edu/police/?Page=about/policies.php&SM=about/nav.html):</a> "The University of Vermont Department of Police Services is a nationally accredited police agency through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)." And if you do explore the site, you'll find that applications for security positions are to the University, not the BPD.</p>
<p>If you don't know how to search a college website - I haven't seen one yet that doesn't have either maps showing the proximity of dining halls to residences or information on campus security - it is better to ask a question than post misinformation that might result in a student not calling for a ride when they really need one.</p>
<p>CTDAD! my friend, who happens to be a physician , and not the dullard you seem to think he is, or me, for that matter, DID check websites, maps, etc. but that was BEFORE his first-born was placed in Mercy Hall. he also said the acceptance forms offer no ability to choose your dorm , regardless of whether you get it, nor any roommate "profile". the comments about the ride situation came form his d., an actual new student. so whether she is correct or not, SHE and others there think this is the case!
i have no idea why you're attacking me for coming here out of a need to get some real answers, and help for my friend.</p>
<p>I'm sure your physician friend is more than capable of making a decision for his daughter. </p>
<p>But for the other readers, here is some first hand information from the UVM website:</p>
<p>The campus is 460 acres, or about .7 square miles, from "Fast Facts" (<a href="http://www.uvm.edu/about_uvm/?Page=facts.html)%5B/url%5D">http://www.uvm.edu/about_uvm/?Page=facts.html)</a>. If you Google the campus and look at the scale, the distance from very north to very south is about a mile. </p>
<p>There are 12 dining facilities on campus, 9 of which are located in Central Campus, within about 1/2 mile of Mercy Hall. Here is a map of Mercy Hall - if you highlight the Dining Areas button and use the navigation arrows, you'll see there that Trinity Cafe in Delehanty Hall is two buildings away (navigate down): <a href="http://www.uvm.edu/%7Erlweb/reslife_halls/?Page=IMAP&Building=192&SM=north/north_sm.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.uvm.edu/~rlweb/reslife_halls/?Page=IMAP&Building=192&SM=north/north_sm.html</a>. Today’s menu (varies daily (<a href="http://uds.uvm.edu/locations.html%5B/url%5D">http://uds.uvm.edu/locations.html</a>) shows: a breakfast sandwich, a lunch entr</p>
<p>i read your post to my friend. thanks for your diligence. i have NO idea why he or his daughter would concoct erroneous info. tonight he (jokingly) told me i missed a stat, and said i never told him about UVM's 4-year graduation rate: 50%, and their 6-year rate at 60%. he's "crying" as his d. got scholarships elsewhere and chose UVM. he also told me UVM is 3rd in the country for "weed", and his d. just told him of a party of 300 where everyone was stoned and the kids she hung out with for 3 hours didn't know who she was the next day. maybe this is why the rule in the dorms by the RA is for kids to call police if they find someone unconscious, rather than calling the EMTs. if kids don't do this, THEY are disciplined.
so, you are right, I don't know firsthand, and was only here to help a friend, but you're opening up a can-of-worms.</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I feel the need to address your comments. You are not being fair. I just spent the weekend at UVM with my daughter. I spent a lot of time in her dorm and visited another dorm (boy's floor). It was Saturday night. We walked around the campus. We saw/smelled no "weed". Can students attend these parties? Of course! Can they attend these parties on any other campus in America? Certainly. I was thrilled with the school-as is she. Her friends were lovely, polite and not "hippies". Again, we are absolutely thrilled with the school. </p>
<p>My daughter did spend last weekend visiting her boyfriend at an Ivy. She was shocked at the behavior on that campus. She said there was music blasting till 4am - her comments were that UVM's campus is much calmer and they "are so much more strict". Interesting.</p>
<p>Perhaps your friend's daughter needs to hang out with different kids... If you'd like, I can give you my daughter's number. She, as well as her friends, would remember your friend's daughter if they hung out together.</p>
<p>i'm off to work in a min., so i must be brief, but wanted to get something up in response. FIRSTTIMELISA~ my comments are a direct result of the insulting posts by CTDAD. he has taken what was supposed to be my honest attemp to reach out and get info for my friend, to an assault upon us and the factual info i'm writing, BASED ON THE KID'S OWN COMMENTS. no student has ever come on and helped, and few use CC, but i was grateful fo whatever i got. YES ALLCAMPUSES ARE FILLED WITH SUBSTANCE USE, THAT'S THE NORM. but i'm hearing about police stings, the fact that friends can't protect friends by calling an ambulance, but instead have to turn them in, etc. and i do think the schoolis coming down hard, BECAUSE they've let it get out of control!
i read CTDAD's posts to my friend, who gave me a ton of his own research, which i don't have time for now, but will post later. in sum, the UVM police ARE a branch of the Burlington police, with full-holstered weapons, uniforms, etc. he again says NO ONE will call them for safe rides, and they do patrol the campus to "bust" kids. PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT FOR NOW IS THET ALL MY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS REFER TO KIDS ON THE TRINITY CAMPUS ONLY!!!! that's what i wanted to know about! after the first few days of school, 55% of those kids went on transfer lists. they don't have real food in a real cafeteria, and by my friend's own walking, etc, this campus is 1.1 mi from the edge of the main campus, and 2.2 mi. to Redstone. and it's not even winter yet. all for now. will be back.</p>
<p>My son is applying to UVM partly because he got a free application and also everyone he has spoken to that goes there loves the school. People that I have talked to only have good things to say about the school. We are out of state so I have no direct knowledge of the school. I have heard that it is a big pot smoking school. Not sure if it is any worse than any other college. My older son goes to another state university and says many people smoke at his school. It could be that your friend's daughter is unhappy and is painting a horrible picture for her father so she can transfer. I have been lucky, my son in college has always loved his school. I am sure it is hard on a parent to hear how unhappy their child is.</p>
<p>As for the distance her dorm is from everything else, I am sure she will survive. My older son's dorm freshman year was on the outskirts of his campus and he did just fine. We made sure he had proper clothing to keep warm. Don't get me wrong, he would complain about the hike to classes and dining halls but it was not enough of an inconvenience to stop him from enjoying himself. His school provided buses but he walked most of the time instead of freezing to death waiting for the bus.</p>
<p>hi, onestack~ thanks for your nice response. the thing is, my friend's daughter is actually adjusting and is trying to find healthy friends. the parents would WANT her to transfer, but the d. doesn't! she's involved and already elected to a committee as a freshman; despite this, she reports all of the above, which causes the dad to take it seriously. thanks again.</p>