As students of Laney College, we find it difficult to understand why it’s so complicated to make repairs when it’s clear what needs to be repaired.
Our bathrooms are consistently a mess with offensive graffiti that has yet to be washed off. There is trash littering every corner; issues such as poor campus lighting and out-of-order emergency phones bring up a huge safety concern. 
According to the district’s facilities maintenance and operations website, the college considers emergencies to be fire, hazards to life, health, property, building leaks, and gas odors. 
But what about the overall well-being of our students? What about the safety of our students?
The issues we are facing, though not listed as emergencies, affect us every day.

Funding Failures

Laney College’s Director of Business and Administrative Services Phyllis Carter says there are two major sources for maintenance and repairs. 
There is a General Appropriation fund that comes from the state, from which the district allocates a certain amount of money for repairs. Secondly, there is a block grant for instructional equipment, library materials and scheduled maintenance.
Each year the facilities committee looks over program reviews and academic progress, facility needs and technological needs to see what should be the priorities and if the needs of the community and students are being met. 
Although it is understandable that there is a procedure for handling needed repairs, it is frustrating to witness such a delay in providing a functional campus for the students that work so hard here. 
The challenge of balancing school and work is great enough and the students at Laney College deserve a working and clean campus.
With roughly 11,000 students attending Laney, it should be a priority for our facilities to work properly.

Unsafe and Unloved

Several Laney students told us they are “experiencing “a disconnect. 
One student said she’s at a disadvantage when we have no recourse to alleviate broken or malfunctioning facilities.
“One of the toilet seats in the cafeteria has been broken since I started going here two years ago,” she said, “and sometimes the line is really long.” 
Another student felt “unsafe and unloved.” 
“When there isn’t clarity between the district and the students,” she said, “it makes it hard to understand why the things are as they are.”

Stand Up, Speak Out

As students at the Peralta Colleges, we need to stand up and speak out.
We should vote to have a student representation fee. This would cost $2 per student, and result in having a student go to the state legislature and represent us when issues and budgets are being discussed. 
Laney’s student government is currently pursuing this option.
On Saturday, April 30, at 8 a.m., there will be a volunteer campus clean up, coordinated by the Laney College Business Office. Concerned students are encouraged to attend: the more students who participate, the bigger the statement. 
It is time to make our voices heard; these issues are not going unnoticed by our student body.
We need solutions now.