Students from the University of Vermont have been appearing at Burlington City Council meetings over the past month to describe deplorable living conditions in campus dormitories. The council on Monday night considered a resolution that would remove an exemption allowing local colleges to bypass minimum housing standards.
The students formed a Student Tenant Union in September 2024 after students said complaints about living conditions in college housing were not adequately addressed by UVM officials.
During public comment Monday, student Ben Robke read a sampling of survey responses collected in one day asking fellow students whether they had problems in their dorms.
“Davis Hall: Bathroom constantly flooded, leaving a trail of water all over the hallway carpet. Richardson Hall: My shower leaked through the floor the entire year even after people were called to repair it. Simpson Hall: Black mold on the ceiling of Simpson’s bathrooms and dorms. Millis Hall: Ceiling caved into the shower, likely due to water damage. Thankfully no one was in the shower, but it has since not been fixed.”
Students submitted reports to the City Council describing infestations of silverfish and mice, leaks leading to mushroom growth, multiple reports of mold, and maintenance issues that have not been resolved.
UVM officials told councilors the school maintains more than 3,000 rooms across 42 residence halls and conducts annual comprehensive inspections of each room and daily inspections of common spaces. Burlington colleges currently are exempt from meeting the city’s minimum housing standards — an exemption students hope the council will lift.
Even with the exemption in place, UVM Executive Director of Facilities Management Amanda Clayton told councilors the school prioritizes complaints and has processed more than 2,000 maintenance work orders over the past year, 94% of which have been successfully completed.
“We strive to maintain a high bar for meeting student needs. When we receive maintenance or service requests, we identify issues that need to be handled as a priority, such as no heat, no power or active leaks, broken windows,” she said. “Generally when we cannot complete something on time it’s due to the availability of supplies and materials.”
But Ethan Keefner, a member of the UVM Student Tenant Union, disputed UVM officials’ claims, saying some problems have lingered for more than a year and projects are often marked satisfactorily completed when they are not. He explained why the group is turning to the City Council for help.
“The Student Tenant Union has met with UVM administration in six meetings to discuss our concerns over the way UVM’s dorms have been maintained. But we have been repeatedly told that the university is unwilling to meet our demands, including consistently meeting and maintaining Burlington’s minimum housing standards,” he said. “For years, the University of Vermont has been allowed to make its own inspections and resolve its maintenance to its own standards. As shown by the countless testimonies we have gathered and shared, this is not sufficient. With this resolution, UVM dorms would be given the same attention and protection all other Burlington units are provided.”
The resolution before the council would require colleges to provide details of their inspection protocols within three months. The city’s Department of Permitting and Inspections would be tasked with creating a template for colleges to annually certify inspection processes and procedures. The city Ordinance Committee must also determine whether the college exemption from minimum housing standards can be revoked.
Primary sponsor Ward 8 Progressive Marek Broderick, a UVM student, said living conditions have been a long-term problem.
“Whether it’s mold, pests, defective heating systems or issues of health and safety not being addressed in a timely manner, students have come to the city requesting that we ensure that dormitory housing is habitable and safe; that the dorms are being properly inspected and those inspections are certified by the city; that dorms are being inspected to a housing code that is equal to or greater than our minimum housing standards,” he said. “My research and the testimony that you have heard has revealed a decades-spanning systemic failure in ensuring on-campus students are treated fairly and have simple and easy access to stand up for their rights as Burlington tenants.”
Councilors unanimously voted to refer the resolution to the Ordinance Committee with a request that the city attorney determine the city’s authority to require compliance by local colleges with city housing codes.
