Water Leaks on Campus | Graphic by Abigail Abbott | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University has been open for 60 years, and in that time, many of the facilities on campus have started facing problems. With recent heavy rainfall, leaks have become more noticeable, leading to an increase of discourse and conversation around WSU’s facilities.
Student thoughts and concerns
Emily Sands, a sophomore nursing major, has lived on campus for both of her years and has always had a positive outlook on the facilities that campus offers as well as how they are kept up.
“I can tell that whoever cleans does [well] because so many people use the public spaces but [they are] not dirty,” Sands said.
She also explained that she has never noticed any repeated issues, including leaks, that have caused her to feel concerned.
However, there is more to facilities than just outward appearances, and many students have shared concerns regarding issues across campus, such as leaks in the tunnels.
Angel Wilson, a sophomore English education major, shared some of the things that she has noticed on campus regarding facilities.
“For those that use walkers or wheelchairs, it may hinder them from getting to places safely,” Wilson explained. “Many times, people are using the tunnels to get to class quickly. If people are rushing and aren’t looking, they could get injured.”
Facility priorities
Javan Conley, associate vice president of Facility Operations, has worked for WSU for 25 years. He started his time as a project manager and has held his current position for just over four years.
Conley stated that fixing these leaks are his “number one priority right now,” and he also shared part of the process that he and his team go about when they fix leaks.
“There’s an art to it, but it’s not rocket science,” Conley stated. “We’ve slowed it down, but every time we inject a crack, [the leak] just moves to another crack, so we’re chasing our tails.”
Recently, facilities have invested over $1 million into tunnel improvements, including fixing the leaks. Although Facilities Operations do not have the funding to excavate and repave the tunnel, Conley explained that his team has other ways to fix the problem in mind.
“We’re looking at putting in a textured floor so that when you’re walking through there, you’re not slipping and sliding, so safety is our number one [priority],” Conley said.
Aside from leaks, Conley shared that it is important to him that the facilities keep up good appearances in regards to things that are broken.
“Developing those kinds of protocols is part of my job and then making sure that our guys are doing their due diligence. When they go out to fix something, we are fixing it in a manner that when we walk away, we have 100% certainty that it’s fixed,” Conley said.
Deferred maintenance
Conley made it clear that the well-being of students is at the forefront of every decision that he and his team make.
“It’s always a balancing act on how we spend that money and make sure we’re spending it strategically where it’s going to give us the biggest bang for our buck,” Conley said.
Deferred maintenance is an umbrella term for anything in the university that is “beyond its useful life,” as Conley explained.
“Every institution like this has deferred maintenance, and [it’s] because of the lack of funding in the past, [and] the age of the university is outpacing the funding that’s coming in, but our priority, and this hasn’t always been the case, our capital dollars that we get from the state are now going solely to our deferred maintenance,” Conley said. “The university has made a decision that we are tackling the deferred maintenance first before we build anything. Now certainly, [there are] initiatives that we undertake.”
He then provided a list of upcoming projects aside from fixing what is old and broken.
Upcoming projects
Conley explained all of the efforts that Facility Operations have been making and will continue to make, with the new outdoor chairs and ping-pong tables serving as examples. Facilities also recently fixed the campus water supply, making water softer and safe to drink again.
According to Conley, there are a lot of projects on the horizon; one of these projects is that the moat surrounding the Hangar is scheduled to be filled in and renovated.
“We’re going to build a stage so that it can be like a dual-purpose area for the first day of school, the picnics, maybe even a graduation,” Conley said.
He explained that this was what the area was originally used for.
It is clear that the staff at facilities care about their students’ well beings and enjoyment. While leaks and problems are sure to always arrive, WSU’s Facility Operations representatives explain attempts to maintain safety across campus.
