By: Sarah Madden, Senior Writer

Soggy carpets. Giant spiders. Respiratory illnesses. Marsh Hall really is turning into Marsh[land], it seems.

“It’s no hotel,” says Mary Bradley Cassada, ’19.

Students like Cassada have endured everything from faulty plumbing to bug infestations in the first month of the semester, including what Jacey Sohm, ’19, and others call “the Marsh Plague”.

“[Almost] everyone who lives in Marsh has gotten a terrible respiratory infection from the stuff that is growing in our vents. I tried to clean the vent myself for half an hour straight, and my Clorox wipes were still coming up black, just from the grates,” she says. “I don’t need to put that stuff under a microscope to know that it’s probably not good for our lungs. I still have a residual cough from my battle with the plague the first weekend.”

Sohm, who lives on the third floor, says that the bathroom across from her room has flooded twice already, and it was only after the second incident that the problem was truly addressed.

“The first time it happened, there was standing water and sewage waste in the hallway. It soaked all the way into our neighbors’room and was only a foot or two from coming into ours. The smell was god-awful,” she says. “They put a giant fan in the hallway directly in front of our door to try to dry it out; it sounded like there was a leaf blower outside of our door for several days straight, day and night. It flooded again several days later, and then they actually brought in people to try and fix the plumbing.”

According to Sohm, the carpet is still soggy in some places. There was also a third flood caused by another bathroom on the third floor due to drains clogged with hair and showers that never completely turn off, resulting in ankle deep standing water, says Sohm.

“After that, they brought in people to fix the ceiling, because it honestly looked like it was about to cave in. They put a patch over it so you can’t see the holes or cracks anymore.”

Marsh Hall’s infamous insect infestations have already made an appearance, as well. Seth Flanagan, ’18, a fourth floor resident assistant, says he almost injured himself when an unwelcome guest joined him in the shower:

“This gigantic tarantula spider thing came out of the drain. I tried to run and slipped, but don’t worry – I grabbed the showerhead so I didn’t fall completely.”

With almost seven months left for the residents to call Marsh home, it seems that the Marsh horror stories are only beginning. Nevertheless, Cassada, who lives on the fourth floor, is optimistic.

“Marsh has a bad reputation, but by living in the old dorm, I feel as though I am getting the college experience my parents and older friends had. We have to deal with noisy radiators, spiders in the outlets, a sticky door lock and leaky showerheads. There is also a very sketchy hairball in the fire extinguisher cabinet that only a select few know about, but we don’t want to try to handle that situation,” she says. “While it would be nice to have the quality and new facilities of Greene, I like the character and flaws of Marsh, because those experiences only enrich my college experience.”