New Management in Place to Address Residence Hall Issues

The Residence Hall that houses over 100 Brooklyn College students is under new management, and students and the Hall's new director agree that conditions have improved.

The Kenilworth Place facility, which is housing students for the first time this semester, came under severe scrutiny earlier in the semester, stemming from student complaints about issues such as inconsistent Wi-Fi and a disputed overnight guest policy.

Campus Housing, LLC, the developing company who owns the facility, has since hired a new hall director, Ron Yudovich, who says primary goal of his new job is to "make sure the living experience here is the best possible."

Yudovich's first course of action as director was to upgrade the building's Wi-Fi service, which students reported to the Excelsior in September had been working intermittently and dropping out at inopportune times.

"We've been working with a consultant since late October to bring the students superior Wi-Fi service," said Yudovich. The cost of the upgrade is estimated at $30,000, between equipment and consultant salaries, but seems to be generating positive reactions from students.

"It definitely works better. You get a signal everywhere in the building now," said undeclared freshman resident Ariel Pang. "I think everybody's pretty happy with it."

Yudovich has also devoted time and Campus Housing resources to improving the Residence Hall's gym, which residents had previously declared "depleted" and "primitive."

"We've added some machines," he said. "It's full service now. It's everything you would expect out of a gym."

Another common criticism among residents had been the overnight guest policy, which allowed a maximum of six guests per month and required 24-hours' notice before housing any overnight visitors.

The policy, according to Yudovich, has not been drastically amended, but was made less rigid.

"The goal as far as the overnight policy is concerned is not to disturb other students," said Yudovich. "If students are constantly boarding overnight guests, that's exactly what is going to happen."

"Also, if it happens too much, it comes to a point where people are staying there for free," he added.

"It's the same policy as any other CUNY Residence Hall, and the policy is going to stay in place, but we're certainly flexible about it."

While the 24-hours' notice policy will stay in place, residents will now be able to submit their requests electronically until 2a m.

The change has not gone unnoticed among students. "The guest policy is better than it was in the beginning," said resident Arifa Zaidi, a pre-med freshman psychology major.

"It's at least a lot clearer now what's expected of us," she said. "It was very obscurely worded [before], and what we were told about it wasn't what they were enforcing at the front desk."

Yudovich also replaced the recently-resigned Hall Director Krista Hibbard. Although residents interviewed were not certain of the reasons behind Hibbard's resignation, it did not come as a surprise.

"I worked briefly in the office for a little while, and I will say that Krista seemed a little overwhelmed," said Zaidi. "She was young, and she had a lot to deal with when [the Hall] first opened."

Zaidi also added that, although she shared none of the problem s with Hibbard that other students had previously expressed, she believes that Yudovich seems more suitable for the job.

"Ron seems understanding, and I think that makes him promising as far as how he deals with problems," she said. "I guess over time, we'll see how he fits in with everybody."

Overall, students are happy with the changes that have come over the last month, but believe that there is always room for improvement.

"Everything's a little better now. They seem to be more responsive to our complaints," said Pang, adding that she does see things that she'd like to see change.

One plea she had was for the opening of the top-floor terrace, which has not yet been available for resident use.

"We have a beautiful terrace up there, but we can't access it," she said. "They told us the wall needs to be adjusted…we'd really like to be able to use it."

Although setbacks and dissatisfaction at a newly constructed facility are inevitable, Yudovich remains willing to address any resident complaints.

"We're always open to any input the students may have," he said. "We want to create a living environment that is safe and comfortable for everybody."