<p>For a class of mine, I'm required to identify a problem within Rutgers or the New Brunswick area and come up with a detailed, systematic plan to rectify said problem. It is essentially a research paper that acts as a proposal, with logistics such as price considerations included. </p>
<p>I ask current students and alumni to relay some issues you've encountered and experienced with Rutgers or the general area. Please keep in mind something like "the buses take to long sometimes," while being a valid problem, is not something that can feasibly be changed. Think more along the lines of "how to reduce the amount of food wasted by students in the dining halls."</p>
<p>This report will be passed on to someone in a high position with considerable power, and the plan may actually end up being enacted so a difference can be made. Any problems you guys really want to see fixed?</p>
<p>Are you referring to the thread with that title on this site? I’ve seen it and unfortunately things like the TA’s being incapable of speaking proper English and how much the football team sucks aren’t exactly what I’m looking for. Same with the class registration process, housing, and financial aid issues. Sadly, it is likely that these problems will continue to be part of the RU Screw for the majority of us.</p>
<p>how about figuring out how to regulate heat in the dorms. D’s dorm room is a sauna - they keep the window open, so it’s bearable. That has to be wasting significant $ and there is a solution, whether it’s cost efficient is another story, but that’s what you are looking for.</p>
<p>A financial incentive, while not the primary purpose, will ultimately play a big role in getting a change made. Same goes for the amount of red-tape that needs to be crossed in terms of legal issues and environmental effects. It’s all cost/benefit analysis.</p>
<p>The heat regulation idea is great and something I deal with on a day to day basis. It must cost quite some money to heat all the rooms so unnecessarily, including class rooms where the temperature regulation systems are non-functioning. I’ll be doing some research into this for sure.</p>
<p>njmom2011 it’s funny you say that because my son has the same problem in the Newell apartments. The only way they can regulate the heat is to shut off the heater completely. It’s always about 90 degrees in there!</p>
<p>Conversely, it’s always hot in the warmer months as the A/C isn’t really effective. I think that they really need new heaters/AC in all of the older dorms/apartments but they probably figure it’s cheaper to waste heat than to replace multiple units. </p>
<p>Something else I noticed is trash disposal in general. A lot of the kids don’t recycle, they just mix it altogether. Also the bags they used in some of the (BAMM) dorms: they appeared to be the very heavy-weight construction type of trash bags rather than the thinner, household use ones. Sometimes it seems like they are throwing out more bag than trash. The heavier bags must be more expensive.</p>
<p>Agree on lack of recycling. While they have a blue garbage can in their room, they only use one. She was told to buy plastic bags to fit them - we looked around, including Costco, and could not find anything at retailers. They end up using plastic shopping bags. (She’s in a Douglas dorm w/o AC). </p>
<p>I’ve eaten a few times at Nielson and don’t see much wasted food. The kids seems to only take what they eat and go back for seconds.</p>