Anyone’s kids going to U of M this fall 2017?? Received dorm assignment, but have heard plenty of unpleasant information.
Please give any information you have available.
Gratefully yours,
New College Mom
What are you requesting?
Which dorm?
Well if you are concerned about the Markley cockroaches - a dorm official recently wrote this to a parent:
"… I want to assure you we agree that no student should have to worry about pest problems in their living space and we are actively engaged in making that a reality this fall in Mary Markley.
We now know that the severity of the problem last year was in part due to construction work that had occurred last summer near Mary Markley hall. As we learned the scope of the problem, we were limited in what we could do while the building was fully occupied. After students moved out this past April, we closed the building for the summer and have engaged in a thorough inspection and multi-pronged operation to address issues within the building, the exterior of the building, as well as the infrastructure that provides service from the street to the building. As my colleague stated, we also took this opportunity to do some updates to the building that are unrelated to the pest issues.
We are confident we have addressed the problem with the professional knowledge and expertise available and in so doing, expect the issues of last year to be addressed. However if there are any issues once students have moved in, we are prepared to respond quickly and responsibly."
Thank you, Yes my son received a Markley placement…no A/C , very old and have heard a lot of horror stories. Are all of the older dorms !like this? We’re going next week for orientation and I’m going to take a look at the dorm!
Also, am I the only one who is shocked at the dorm conditions?? 60k each year and some of the dorms are quite sketchy!!
No need for them to tough it out, they could suffer much closer to home!
There is an admittedly large disparity between the renovated and non-renovated dorms.
However, Markley provides a unique social experience.
As a guide once said, “Markley is near the bottom for physical appearance and near the top for social experience”
Ok thanks, so a top social experience…I’ve read it’s quite the Party dorm & it’s rather difficult to sleep or study in Markley. Any suggestions for a very bright engineering student?? Is it true about the drinking on the weekends??
Yes markley can be loud and a party dorm. I am living in Newberry next year which is not renovated and no ac. There will also be construction right next to it so im worried about potential pests. However, ac really isnt necessary during the school year in Michigan.
Thank you, good luck to you. Are u a sophomore? Did u escape to the library often?
I am actually an incoming freshman but i do plan to only use my dorm at night or other housing events. I will be going to the library during the day time.
Thank you for your feedback. Best of luck to you. I’ll be continuing to ask questions as the year progresses.
My son, also in the engineering program, just finished his freshman year in Markley. He didn’t really complain much aside from the room being small. He studied a fair amount in his room and had no problem with noise or excessive partying. In fact, his hallway was quiet and many doors were shut. It seemed that almost half his floor were engineering/computer science majors.
Oh, thank God! That’s the best news I’ve had so far. Thank you for the reassurance. So your son didn’t have any issues with roaches or pests? Were room a/c units allowed? We lived in Ann Arbor for many years so I realize the weather does get much colder, but not having a/c is quite archaic!
Thank you so much
I just asked him about roaches and he said that he probably encountered 4 the entire year and never in his room.
I bought him 2 fans, once small one that oscillated and an even smaller one from Bed, Bath and Beyond that he could clip on near the head of his bed. Having the window open and fan in front of it probably helped with cooling down the rooms especially at night. He had a great first year and he is excited to return. I think the kids leave their doors open during the first couple of weeks to get to know one another and then that changes as they need to study more.
Yup… no air conditioners allowed.
Thank you again for your reassurances and helpful suggestions. If you think of anything else, please let me know. The uncertainty is the hardest part…well, leaving your child at a great college 10 plus hours away
Could anyone speak to smoke free vs substance free at the dorms?? I’m worried that smoke free means that hungover/ stoned students are prevalent. Thanks!
All dorms are smoke free (the entire UMich Campus is). Here is the difference between substance free and “normal” dorms. For students under 21, alcohol is prohibited regardless. For any student, marijuana is not permitted. While Ann Arbor decriminalized marijuana, the state of Michigan did not. Using marijuana on campus and being caught by UMPD (who enforce state law, not local ordinance), is risking being charged with a misdemeanor-level crime. Over-the-counter drugs being used for unintended purposes and non-prescriptions drugs are, of course, always not permitted. Drug-related paraphernelia is not permitted in any dorm.
The difference for substance free dorms is that the alcohol prohibition is applied to all students. In other dorms, students over the age of 21 can keep small amounts of alcohol and consume the alcohol in their private spaces. Also, posters/images/clothing promoting drug/alcohol consumption/culture are not permitted.