When 19-year-old Cleveland State University junior Yadiel Mercado woke up one morning, he stepped outside his dorm room at The Edge into a puddle of water leaking from the air conditioner unit. At another point, weeks of water outages forced him to shower elsewhere. 

“I would just wake up and try to go shower, and realize I had no water,” Mercado said. 

Other CSU students described similar frustrations, including delayed repairs, broken appliances and overflowing trash chutes, raising questions about maintenance response times in university housing.

After the air conditioning leak, Mercado and his roommate submitted work orders. He also said he lost power after a campus-wide outage. 

“It reminded me of how Puerto Rico and my family suffered after Hurricane Maria,” he said. “We didn’t have basic utilities.” 

While other residence halls regained power, Mercado’s dorm remained without electricity. After a month of work orders, the problem continued. Eventually, maintenance arrived to discover a breaker switch that needed to be flipped. 

Mercado, who studies film and media arts with a minor in broadcasting, said that at one point university staff told him he could relocate or cancel his housing contract without penalty. 

“It was like it wasn’t my decision anymore to live there,” said Mercado, who had moved from The Langston to The Edge after similar problems at his previous residence. “I didn’t choose to wake up one day and not have water.” 

Maintenance staff have up to two business days to respond to online work orders, according to Cleveland State's Residence Life and Housing. However, a response does not guarantee repairs within that time. 

Peter Gatto, executive director of Housing and Campus Experience at Cleveland State University, said emergency and safety concerns receive immediate priority, followed by urgent issues affecting essential services. 

“For routine maintenance requests, the goal is to complete work orders within 48 hours of submission,” Gatto said. 

However, he said completion times may vary depending on the repair complexity, parts availability, access to the unit and whether a specialized vendor is needed. 

Other student concerns across residence halls 

A second student, who requested anonymity, described repeated maintenance requests for faulty laundry services and a shattered window at The Edge. 

The student said the dryer kept breaking down over two semesters in 2025, leaving the dryer doors locked and trapping students’ clothes. The student said that they filed four separate work orders before maintenance unlocked the machines.

They also mentioned that maintenance eventually said a piece needed to be fixed and that they planned to fix it as soon as possible. 

Eventually, staff identified the necessary appliance replacements and the issue was resolved this year. 

While maintenance was dealing with the dryer issue, another student pointed out a broken window. The student said staff told them that window washers had broken the window. 

After three weeks and several more work orders, a storm intervened, leading to the window shattering. Once maintenance cleaned up the glass, the repair still took several more months. 

“It feels like the response is so slow and they just put off paying the money to get things fixed,” the student said. 

Gatto said maintenance staff review previous work orders, technician notes and completed repairs when students report recurring issues. 

“If the issue persists, the problem is escalated for further troubleshooting, which may include additional diagnostics, equipment replacement or consultation with a specialized vendor,” Gatto said. 

The student also reported problems with the heating system during the winter. After the student reported it, maintenance arrived and said the building doesn’t have a heating system.

The student said the temperature inside remained at 60 degrees despite being set to 90 degrees, prompting them to buy space heaters.

Pest concerns and trash build-up 

Maintenance problems were not limited to individual rooms. Mercado said he encountered mice during his freshman year and later saw rodents moving between dorm rooms on the first floor of The Edge. Instead of reporting it, he eventually bought a doorstop to try to keep them out. 

Mercado also described clogged trash chutes that led residents to leave garbage bags on the carpet outside trash rooms on their floors.

Gatto said custodial staff check trash rooms at The Edge and The Langston daily, Monday through Friday. He added that trash service may be adjusted during busier periods, such as move-in and move-out. 

Students on whether campus housing is worth recommending 

Both students shared how their experiences with campus housing have influenced whether they would recommend the residence halls to other students. 

Mercado recommends on-campus housing, depending on the student's circumstances. For example, their proximity to work or the location of their classes. 

The second student said they actively discourage others from living on campus, arguing that maintenance concerns and housing costs are additional stress alongside school responsibilities.

“I feel like I actively tell people not to,” the student said. 

Although their experiences differ, both students stressed the need for timely maintenance and reliable living conditions for on-campus residents. 

Greystar, which manages The Edge and The Langston, is available to speak with residents about property-specific questions and concerns. Residents can contact the management teams at langston@greystar.com and theedgeoh@greystar.com.