VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) - A Valdosta State University student says living conditions inside one campus dorm have become unsafe and uncomfortable, raising concerns about maintenance and safety issues.

The student, who says they live in Hopper Hall, said several problems inside the dorm have gone unresolved.

According to the student, residents have experienced inconsistent hot water, air conditioning problems, bugs and possible mold throughout parts of the building.

The student also claimed that temperatures inside the dorm regularly exceed 85 degrees because the air conditioning system is not working properly.

“I’ve lived in Hopper most of my time at VSU— since October 2024, and there have always been issues,” the student said. “The smoke detectors go off, the AC has problems, and it just got worse this spring semester.”

The student said temperatures inside their dorm regularly reach around 80 degrees and have climbed as high as 85 or 86 degrees.

“I have an ESA dog, and they don’t do well with the heat,” the student said. “[The dog is] not even here right now because I can’t risk having her in the dorm with temperatures that high.”

Safety concerns were also raised about the building’s elevator. The student said the elevator frequently gets stuck and shakes while in use.

Other issues mentioned include door locks that reportedly do not work properly and fire alarms going off at night due to possible system problems.

The student also described concerns with building security. They said some dorm doors that normally use the OneCard system are currently being accessed with physical keys because the card readers are broken. The student said some doors that are supposed to close and lock behind residents sometimes stay open.

The student also pointed to past safety concerns on campus, noting that last year in Lowndes Hall, some doors would not lock, allowing a man who was not a student to enter the girls’ dorm and ask residents for money.

“They had sent out an email telling students to lock their doors because there was a man coming around asking girls for money,” the student said. “But I heard from multiple people that the doors didn’t lock, so that wasn’t really an option.”

The student said many residents feel frustrated because of the cost of living on campus.

“I pay close to $3,300 a semester just to live in Hopper Hall in a two-by-two,” the student said. “A lot of people pay thousands of dollars to live here, and we deserve to live somewhere that is safe and comfortable.”

The student believes some repairs are being delayed.

“I was told the new AC chiller for Hopper Hall will be installed in the summer,” the student said. “But what about the students living there right now?”

The student said the situation has left many residents feeling ignored.

“A lot of people have been talking about how unimportant they feel,” the student said. “Campus life is great, but the conditions in the dorms just aren’t right.”

The student said housing officials are aware of the concerns but claim repairs have not been made.

“We pay thousands of dollars a semester to live here, and nothing seems to get fixed.”

University’s response

Valdosta State University officials provided a statement on Monday night responding to these concerns. Read the statement in full below:

“Recent inspections in Hopper Hall did not find evidence of ongoing external door issues, elevator issues, wide-spread pest issues, mold, or microbial growth. The goal with all maintenance requests from our housing students is to get the problem fixed as soon as possible. We learned about an issue with the hot water in Hopper Hall on Friday, March 6, and crews were on site over the weekend to make repairs. Now that temperatures are warming up, the air conditioning chiller in Hopper Hall is being utilized even more. It is currently working but needs to be replaced, and work to get a new chiller has already started. Students are encouraged to report maintenance issues through the work order system as soon as possible so crews can be dispatched for repairs.”

Officials also added that work on the Hopper Hall chiller has already started.

“Work to replace the Hopper Hall chiller has already begun. It will take some time to complete, so maintenance crews will monitor the current chiller closely,” VSU said.

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