Jacques Hall was photographed on January 27, 2020.

Last Friday night, the water softener system in Yakeley Hall malfunctioned, causing minerals to accumulate and clogging some fixtures. The water was shut down for necessary repairs. From Friday night to Tuesday or so, the residents in the building have no running water.

Each bathroom must be repaired individually, so the repair process takes several days. The students walked to Gilchrist Hall to use the bathroom accessible through the building. On Wednesday, about 80% of the showers resumed operation, and the last showers were restored at around 5pm on Wednesday

"I know they are doing their best, but the water thing kind of pushed me to the edge," said the parents of Penny Thatcher, a student at Michigan State University.

Mrs. Thatcher said that she and her children were frustrated with the problems Yakeley Hall faced throughout the semester, including the restaurant closure. Bethany Balks, deputy director of communications for the Department of Housing Education and Housing Services, recognizes the dilemma facing West Circle.

"As we continue to recruit and recruit a large number of employees, we will continue to increase these service products as soon as possible," Barques said. "Older buildings, they sometimes do encounter such things, such as plumbing problems."

Mrs. Thatcher said there are still some problems in the bathroom, including some shower heads are taped off and the water pressure is low. As of Thursday morning, Barques has not heard reports on these issues.

"They didn't make it look like a high priority," Thatcher said. "I don't know how many girls live in that dormitory, but obviously it is a good number. Let them hang out on weekends, I think let someone stay there 24/7 and get repaired."

Balks encourages any student experiencing maintenance issues to submit a maintenance request or call the Landon Hall service center to resolve these issues.

"We are grateful to (students) for their understanding in this situation, and we certainly hope that there will not be any additional experiences that frustrate students," Barques said. "Our goal is to support their success and spend a rewarding and rewarding time with them on campus."

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