Earlier this month, several photos of Purdue University dorm rooms went viral for being so sad-looking. And no, we’re not kidding. The dorms, which are apparently part of the university’s temporary student housing, looked over-crowded and downright pathetic. Now, not only have they been criticized by most of the internet, but they’re also being investigated by officials at the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
The investigation comes after many students have complained of potentially unsafe living conditions, as well as the release of the viral photos. Multiple freshmen who are housed in these dorm rooms have complained to BuzzFeed News about the conditions they are paying to live in. The 10-person temporary dorms are called auxiliary housing, and they are offered to students at random whenever there are too many students admitted to the school. The freshmen who have to live there are put on a waiting list and if other students drop out, they get to move out and into an official dorm… which, yeah, is just as unfair as it sounds.
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BuzzFeed News reports that, this year, Purdue saw about five times more students admitted to the school who applied for on-campus housing than average, making the situation worse. Purdue also told stated that these dorms were “pretty typical” compared to other makeshift dorms in other colleges.
Students, however, complained about the lack of windows, exits, entrances, and electrical outlets, saying it feels like a “death trap.”
On campus, they refer to these dorms as “bunkers,” “barracks,” and “storage rooms.” One anonymous student described the housing as “a basement conference room divided up into cubicle-like spaces with furniture.”
Students from two basement, 10-person auxiliary dorms explained that they are most worried about the lack of windows, exits, and entrances in their rooms. One student said there was only one exit, although IDHS said “all fire safety codes are being met.”
Aside from the safety issues, the housing seems downright uncomfortable and awful. Students say they are sharing a bathroom among 10 people, dealing with leaky ceilings, loud noises, and even cockroaches. Many students are worried about unpacking because there is no actual security, and they are worried about their valuables.
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What many students are really frustrated about is that they’re literally paying to live like this, and it isn’t cheap.
Although freshmen in auxiliary housing pay the least for housing tuition until they’re reassigned, they still feel they’re paying too much. One student said, “It irks us. We’re paying to be here. Not everyone is living the same. At the end of the day, we’re not getting what we paid for. It’s a little unjust.”
He added, “If you’re going to admit as many kids, you’ve got to build more dorms, or not have more upperclassmen staying in dorms.”
For now, investigations are still under way, and we can only hope that these students get some justice here.