Editorial | Unclogging the System

It's not quite rotten, but something is definitely amiss about the state of the high rises. Between the 400 clogged-toilet complaints filed this semester and the long waits for broken elevators, students in the high rises are understandably frustrated and upset with Facilities Services right now.

Although it's true that Facilities is busy, these complaints are not isolated or small. While the high rises are by no means the only buildings on campus, the majority of students living on campus live in Rodin, Harnwell or Harrison. And these inconveniences quickly turn into problems when students are late to class because an elevator took 20 minutes to arrive.

Minor renovations and the installation of high-speed elevators will continue for the next several semesters, interfering with the speed of the older elevators. New elevators will be a welcome change, but these delays have just gone on too long.

Currently, many requests seem (to students) to become lost in the system. At a bare minimum, a more-transparent request system, with reasonable wait estimates, is needed to process and respond to complaints. Improving the organization as the infrastructure improves can only benefit everyone.

Editorial Follow Up

Student Health Services' recent decision to provide human papillomavirus vaccines at a discount to Penn-insured students is commendable. The HPV vaccine is proven to prevent cervical cancer, but one that until recently carried a hefty price tag for students covered by PSIP.

Earlier, we urged SHS to make this move, and we're happy that they have finally reached a deal with Aetna.

Offering the vaccine is a public-health service, and we hope that SHS will publicize this effort in order to reach the maximum number of students.

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