A new website has ranked a University residence hall as one of the worst college dorms in the country.
DormSplash, a division of CampusSplashNetwork, is a website that allows college students to anonymously review on-campus housing at any United States university, said site co-founder Allen Gannett.
The first annual Dormy Awards, ranking the best and worst residence halls, were announced when the site launched March 1 with more than 7,100 reviews.
The University’s own Herget Hall was ranked the 12th worst dorm with a current score of 2.8 out of 5 based solely on student reviews.
Reviewers gave high marks to Herget in social categories, but rooms received the poorest reviews.
One reviewer cited thin walls, small rooms and a loud environment as reasons for a low ranking.
“Would I live there again? No, but I totally didn’t hate it!” another reviewer wrote.
Katherine Finn, Herget resident and studio art freshman, said she agrees with DormSplash’s ranking. She said the dorm is always noisy and she usually leaves the building to study.
Finn said much of the hall should be renovated because of how dirty Herget can get.
“There’s always throw-up in the elevators,” she said.
Alaina Huntley, psychology freshman, also lives in Herget and said the dorm can get loud.
However, Huntley said she enjoys the community promoted by the social nature of the hall.
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Huntley said the ranking Herget received is extreme and not entirely true.
Bobby Gagnet, business administration freshman, said he loves living in Herget. The living conditions may not be the best, Gagnet said, but he would not choose to live anywhere else.
Herget is weak in bathroom conditions and room size, said Ryan Frazier, civil engineering freshman, but the group of friends the building fosters make the dorm exceptionally social.
Ansha’La Braswell, child and family studies freshman, said she likes living in Herget because she can always find fellow classmates to help her with school work.
She said people consider Herget dirty and poorly constructed because it is old.
Since the awards were released, Miller Hall has been ranked lower than Herget with 2.7 out of 5, and Highland Hall also ranks low at 2.9. East Campus Apartments, rated 4.9, and Blake Hall and South Hall, rated 4.3, currently have the highest rankings of University dorms.
Residential Life staff read reviews and thoroughly address complaints about residence halls, said Jay High, ResLife communications manager.
High said he disagrees with Herget’s ranking on DormSplash, explaining that more than $1 million was spent last year for renovations to Herget.
“We constantly strive for excellence,” he said.
High said DormSplash’s ranking was based on low sample rates — only five reviews thus far — and surveys done by ResLife show overall satisfaction with Herget. Vacancy in the dorm is filled quickly every year, he said, and a waiting list has already been created.
ResLife staff addresses all complaints, High said, but problems can only be solved if they are brought to the staff’s attention.
“Sometimes the most disgruntled students are the most vocal,” he said.
High said he noticed a number of mistakes on the DormSplash site, but he said the bad reviews are still strongly considered. He said he is proud of what ResLife has done at Herget Hall.
 
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Contact Brian Sibille at [email protected]