The Essential at JHU

Residents were recently informed that a planned 12-hour water outage would be required for building repairs. The outage ultimately extended to more than 30 hours, leaving residents without running water, toilet flushing, or shower access. What was most frustrating was not simply the outage itself, but the response to it. Residents received a notice that water service had been restored, only to be informed minutes later that it had not actually been restored. Throughout the outage, updates remained vague and did not provide meaningful information regarding accommodations for residents. Despite residents being without water for well over a full day, no bottled water was distributed, no alternative access to potable water was offered, and no alternative arrangements were provided for basic needs such as restroom or shower access. Residents were left to secure their own water and make their own arrangements. Equally concerning was the lack of visible management presence during the outage. While residents were dealing with the loss of a basic utility, there was no onsite management presence available to answer questions, address concerns, or communicate directly with residents about the situation. Stanley Malivert, the general manager, has had a history of poor communication regarding other issues as well. Unexpected repairs can happen in any building. However, when residents are unable to access a basic utility for more than a day, clear communication, visible leadership, and resident accommodations become essential. Prospective residents should be aware that this outage is not occurring in isolation. Frequent maintenance issues, utility disruptions, and ongoing communication concerns have been recurring issues during my time here. I hope management takes this opportunity to improve both infrastructure reliability and resident communication moving forward.