Students in McCullough-Trigg Hall are ready for an upgrade

March 13, 2019

Standing at 77.46 ft tall, McCullough-Trigg Hall has been serving as a dormitory for students for more than 25 years. Since the birth of Trigg in 1994, it has undergone minor necessary maintenance, but it has never been fully renovated. With six floors and a capacity of 152, the building has worn down over time.

Problems such as mold, broken appliances, old furniture, and inefficient amenities have been reported to be the cause of why students would like renovations to be done.

“The only bad thing that I have to say is that I’ve had mold problems, no hot water, and some of the ceiling panels need to be replaced,” said Kayleigh Stone, political science sophomore.

Residents are expected to file a maintenance request through the housing portal when problems occur within their dorm room. The custodians and maintenance team members are expected to complete repairs and maintain the common areas, hallways, elevators and laundry room in the resident hall.

Nursing sophomore, Jessica Cerda Gamez said the maintenance team members fix the problems in a timely manner, however, they do not fix it professionally, thus causing that same problem to reoccur.

The maintenance and operations budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year is $181,614. This budget is used to allocate money for repairs needed to keep Trigg functional for students.

Students have reported that one of the “biggest pains” about living in Trigg is the laundry room.

KenAsia Woods, athletic training sophomore said, “There’s approximately 200 students that live in Trigg, but there’re only five washers, it doesn’t take a rocket scientists to understand that creates a problem.”

Resident Thoughts:

Emily Rodriguez, nursing sophomore | “It’s actually nice, I like the privacy but its just little tweaks that should be changed. Our sink just broke, it wouldn’t push out hot water. I think we need to get fixed elevators because they are always broken.”

London Loftice, fine arts junior | “This is my first semester at MSU and my first time in Trigg. Renovations should be made in the laundry room for sure. I’ve had to skip laundry day multiple times because there are only four washers for six floors of residents.”

Jessica Cerda Gamez, nursing sophomore | “Its pretty good I like having my own privacy. I don’t like that our faucet doesn’t work, and I know that these issues that aren’t really a big deal because maintenance can just fix it but sometimes they don’t fix it professionally.”

Tatum Hines, undecided freshman | “I like how the rooms are set up, with the two separate rooms and a living room, but its got some issues. Our ceiling is full of holes and water damage. I wouldn’t do aesthetic renovations just stuff [like] fixing the problems.”

Makayla Ballard, nursing freshman | “Trigg should be upgraded. Every other building looks nice and Trigg just looks very old. I like how the set up of the rooms are, but there could be some changes to the build.

KenAsia Woods, athletic training sophomore | “An upgrade is way past due. The cost of housing is expensive but we pay it to have a decent living arrangement and currently, Trigg isn’t all that decent. The laundry situation is a big headache for everyone. There’s only so many modifications that can be made to the building to avoid renovation. We pay $5000 a year for these problems.”

Kayleigh Stone, political science sophomore | “My living experience in Trigg has been okay. The only bad thing that I have to say is that I’ve had mold problems, no hot water, and some of the ceiling panels need to be replaced. Other than that I like Trigg. The private rooms with doors, decent living room and somewhat okay shower space.”

Kimberly Milligan, marketing sophomore | “I like living in Trigg. I like having my own space everything. I think maybe just some updates on furniture and stuff cause sometimes my bed falls apart.”

Shelbi Stogdill, history and global studies sophomore | “Trigg is set up really nice because it has a private feel to it, but I think it definitely could be a lot better with some updated furniture, more like the new dorms have. I personally really like living in Trigg, the only thing I don’t like is how old it feels, and the furniture just makes the room not as nice. It would be a better dorm if it was updated and a lot more people would like living there.”