SMU is a campus that can boast about its beautiful dorms. Many of the residence halls are renovated, and most of the others are slated to be renovated eventually. While no one really enjoys community bathrooms, most students can look back on at least one fond memory of living in an SMU residence hall.
But where to go from there? Many students choose to live in the SMU Apartments – but Ed Board has noticed that living conditions at the apartments are less than idyllic.
While we realize that construction is necessary to improve our campus, there is no cause for construction to be done at late/early hours when residents- whose primary purpose of living in the apartments is to be near the school where they are attempting to get an education- are sleeping.
No amount of warning e-mails can fix the jarring experience of being woken up by construction outside your window at 2 a.m. The construction is close enough to the Binkley apartments and loud enough so that only does it wake residents up, it keeps them up.
We understand the desire to do the work before the Texas midday heat sets in, but it’s the end of April and Dallas has yet to have a day even with 90-degree temperatures. It’s really not much cooler at night than it is during the day. Obviously, that will change come July, but there won’t be as many students around by that point, so 2 a.m. construction wouldn’t be as inappropriate. Considering the similar cost of the apartments in comparison to much nicer apartments in Dallas a little courtesy would be appreciated.
Another source of irritation is maintenance duties being carried out at 8 and 9 a.m. There are few things more aggravating than being woken up early by a weed whacker or lawnmower right outside your window. This annoyance frequently takes place at a number of SMU apartments, both at the Binkleys and further down Airline and Daniel. Ed Board thinks there should be a cutoff start time, such as 10 or 11 a.m.
Again, we understand the desire to get the work done before the heat sets in, but the temperature is the same at 8 a.m. as it is at 10 a.m. The heat only becomes unbearable between noon and 3 p.m.
It’s a safe bet to say that college students value sleep more than other ages. Not only that, but getting more than a few hours is necessary for success in college for a majority of students. So all we ask is a little courtesy for the students living at the SMU Apartments. They deserve to sleep in just as long as anyone else.
