Covel renovations misguided, updating necessary Hill facilities should take priority

UCLA has a few hundred elevators, washing machines and dryers to fix before it can call the Hill fully functional.

Instead, UCLA has decided to drop a few million dollars on making a dining hall more aesthetically pleasing.

The planned closure of Covel Commons Residential Restaurant in the spring is part of the university’s newest makeover – UCLA Housing plans to spend nearly $4 million to update the dining hall in anticipation of growing enrollment.

Despite this, the university has done relatively little to address the strain that growing enrollment will have on already faulty dorm facilities.

Sure, Covel isn’t the most picturesque of UCLA’s buildings. But while making it more visually appealing might help attract prospective students, it does little to benefit those who are already paying the university thousands of dollars for facilities that don’t work. Moving forward, UCLA Housing needs to prioritize maintenance and upgrade the services students rely on, as opposed to sinking more funds into the university’s aesthetics.

UCLA’s efforts to update its facilities are commendable, but they also represent a propensity to emphasize marketability over improving less glamorous necessities.

And while students might appreciate a better looking dining hall, what they need is working washing machines.

James Yoon, a second-year chemistry student, said he believes that the university’s choice to renovate Covel feels like a mistake in light of current dorm amenities.

“We use the washing machines every week, but not everyone goes to Covel or hates how Covel looks,” Yoon said. “Renovating (Covel) instead of something that we frequently use feels misguided in a way.”

While misguided, the university’s choice to emphasize large projects over dorm necessities is hardly surprising – a more visually appealing university means more applicants, greater enrollment and more tuition money generated.

UCLA Housing said in a statement that they have chosen now to renovate Covel dining hall in anticipation of a rising population of Bruins and increased demand for housing.

Attracting prospective students isn’t a crime, but the university needs to ensure they’ll be taken care of once they get here. Unfortunately, these renovations are a step in the wrong direction.

And despite citing growing enrollment as justification for the construction, there are no plans to make the dining hall any larger. According to an emailed statement from Katherine Alvarado on behalf of UCLA Housing, the majority of the planned renovations are geared toward updating the kitchen and guest areas – effectively solving every problem but the one UCLA states it’s renovating Covel for.

These renovations are looking even more misguided in light of how badly many dorm amenities need updating. Instead of applying the same proactive approach to existing facilities on the Hill, UCLA Housing has adopted a largely reactionary policy, fixing issues as they arise rather than regularly updating outdated amenities.

Nearly 61% of the 531 elevators on campus had expired permits in 2018, but were allowed to continue functioning because permits are valid as long as the university has requested a state inspection.

UCLA’s track record isn’t much better when it comes to washing machines in the residence halls, which are regularly out of order or leave students with improperly washed, soaking wet clothes.

“I’ve lived in three different dorms,” said Erick Sosa, a second-year communication student. “Consistently, the main problem from the dorms I’ve lived in is the washing machines, which is, again, just frustrating.”

Frustrating is an understatement when it comes to describing the system in place, which relies on student complaints rather than replacing aging machines before problems arise.

Students could get a refund for money lost on broken machines, but it is equally inefficient and few know the process. They would have to type in a link posted in laundry rooms that will take them to a lengthy form on WASH’s website, the company that provides UCLA’s laundry services. Students must then wait for the company to approve their refund, a process that many are unwilling to go through every time a dryer spits their clothing out still soaking wet.

Given how faulty the machines tend to be, this method of service is painful and inadequate, leaving students constantly paying extra money to wash clothes that should have been properly washed the first time.

But at least Covel is getting fancy new light fixtures.

While seemingly mundane, these facilities are vital for students to feel comfortable at their home away from home. Meanwhile, a more aesthetically pleasing dining hall will do little for current Bruins.

To the university’s credit, dining halls are a vital part of campus life and it’s necessary to make sure they are ready to take on the strain of growing enrollment. Then again, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Covel dining hall that would require urgent renovation – the same cannot be said about the facilities on the Hill. If the university wants to make sure it can handle growing enrollment, the administration needs to start focusing on the problems that currently exist – not just hypothetical, prospective issues.

Until then, students will be left to air-dry their clothes and take the stairs up to the ninth floor once a week.

And now, they’ll have to do it all while going without their Covel staples.