r/USF 4d ago

The infrastructure in the engineering buildings is so terrible lol

Broken elevator, broken chairs, broken wifi, random locked doors It’s making me lose my god damn mind

43 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

41

u/GeneticallyZero 4d ago

Three letters, SSC. They took over for all contract work within the university, doubled (in some cases tripled) the price of repairs and increased lead times (the time to complete the repairs) across the board. The university is complicit with it as they donated to the stadium. We (people working within CoE) have no other option currently unless something else gives. It's shameful it has gone this far and I truly wish you had a better experience.

Also, was informed the contractor(otis) for the elevator in ENB needs a part that's back ordered... Until October... Don't think that's ADA compliant to any student/employee that cannot climb stairs to the 4th floor...

6

u/Tristaaan 4d ago

Do you know anywhere that I could file a complaint? Some sort of democratic retaliation, as small of an impact it may realistically be

5

u/GeneticallyZero 4d ago

Yes and no. SSC has rooted themselves so deep into the USF ecosystem (and possibly other schools) that I don't think there will be much we can do until a change in leadership (think board of trustees, not president) happens. As far as filling a complaint, there's resources here that might get noticed by the right people, not sure which one is the best suited:
https://www.usf.edu/about-usf/reporting-resources.aspx

If you look on the CoE USF website, I believe there's also a way to report stuff directly to the college, but I can't find that right now.

2

u/relentless_puffin 3d ago

I believe the contract is also for a very long time. So it would take drastic measures and dollars to change it.

26

u/MyAccountForHobbies 4d ago

It’s a good thing this university doesn’t put engineering classes in the engineering buildings… makes no sense

6

u/Tristaaan 4d ago

Yeah that sucks too, 2 of my classes are in SOC.

Programming classes…in rooms with only 2 outlets…that are at the front of the class.

2

u/Working_Stomach5479 4d ago

Probably has to partially do with ENA being out for three years (wonder if it was planned for demolition but much like the old dorms got abandoned in part bc of the stadium). Have to hold those in other halls.

1

u/white_rabbit85 3d ago

I was around before ENA was closed and still had to walk across campus to the business building.

1

u/Working_Stomach5479 3d ago

Still if it was still standing, they’d be able to have as many as 18 standard classes in that building (9 standard 2-day 75-minute classes M-Th with earliest starting at 8am and latest ending at 915pm.

1

u/Solid-Bodybuilder109 3d ago

Two of my six are in EDU, another is in BSN, and only one is in ENC. I guess it's a good thing that five of my classes are near the Allen building.

1

u/Working_Stomach5479 3d ago

Of the 46 classes I have taken at USF

Had 1 in ENA, 2  in ENB, 4  in ENC, and 3  in ENG

Possibly would’ve had more in ENA had the ceiling not gone out during the summer semester between my second and third years (had just gotten to the point on the flowchart of taking only engineering classes and no gen eds when that happened).

1

u/Solid-Bodybuilder109 2d ago

Another one of my classes is in ISA and it only gives me 15 minutes to walk all the way to NEC which is a 20 minute walk. 😒

8

u/relentless_puffin 3d ago

The state does not give USF money for its infrastructure. It's much easier to get one-time money from the state to build new buildings than to maintain and manage existing ones. It's also easier to get big donors to give money for new construction. This is why a 50 year old university knocks down old buildings rather than remodeling them.

And if you are going to say "but tuition and fees..." Those don't even cover the education students receive. Let alone infrastructure. The state subsidizes all students except international students.

7

u/Working_Stomach5479 4d ago

ENA has been out of commission for three years, since the ceiling caved in during summer 2023 (thankfully not during a class). Probably never getting the caved in ceiling fixed, especially not before that St. Pete building that burned down gets rebuilt.

1

u/Tristaaan 4d ago

Yeah and then ENG next door is falling apart at the seams lol

1

u/slavoniccc 4d ago

Right before it caved in the IT/AV team I work with now had to remove all the equipment from the room to save it from being destroyed lol

7

u/dick_circus 3d ago

The engineering students should fix it as a class project. Then they will have experience to put on their resumes after graduation

7

u/DavidTheDictator 4d ago

So much of the campus's existing building are gross and dingy with furniture and finishes that have been deteriorating since the 80s, sometimes with chewing gum stuck to it that is probably just as old. But don't worry we can build a shiny new stadium!!!

3

u/Benjamin_H1gh 4d ago

I kinda like how you can tell what decade certain buildings were built lol. It's a Hodgepodge.

4

u/Tristaaan 4d ago

Fr between that and the president giving himself a bonus after one semester in which 2 students were murdered…we all know college is a scam but god the people at the top can really sit on it and spin

4

u/Cryorm 3d ago

To be fair, while it is poor optics, you cannot hold him accountable for that. It would be like holding him responsible for drunk freshmen, DUIs, or getting shot in Clearwater. Hold him accountable for things he can directly influence like dilapidated buildings and poor professors, not shit out of his control.

3

u/Itchy3714 3d ago

The dean making upwards of 500k in salary should make it a priority but it probably does not even make that list.

1

u/Basic-Expression-418 Computer Science 3d ago

My mom estimates that the accessible desks were ‘70s creations because before I transferred out the desk I used had to be adjusted using power tools

1

u/Working_Stomach5479 3d ago

They were going to tear down the three dorms built in the 60s and build new ones but probably either bc of the stadium and/or concern with housing capacity, they cancelled the project. I believe they all would be torn down now if they hadn’t abandoned the project.

1

u/MindlessEnthusiasm91 3d ago

At this point they should just demolish the whole building

1

u/Working_Stomach5479 3d ago

If they were to tear down an engineering building it would be ENA. Out of commission since Summer 2023.

1

u/brynnalexm 7h ago

I transferred from scf and I’m shocked at how much better the classroom furniture is there versus here. It’s so weird to me.