Student speaks out about plumbing issues in Cameron dorms

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Senior Brittney Payette recently brought attention to the ongoing issues inside the Shepler dorm rooms through her article in Cameron Collegian.

Payette said she has complained about plumbing problems since she’s been a student, but it’s only gotten worse.

She said toilets frequently overflow causing waste to get on the floor.

She also said mold is growing in the bathrooms, among other problems that need fixing.

Payette decided it was time for someone to speak up, so she wrote a story about it.

“Your voice can make a difference and it’s okay to kind of be nervous to speak up, but it’s still important to speak up because these problems won’t get better if no one says anything,” said Payette.

After the article was released, Payette said the university quickly got to work.

She said she never expected it to make such a big impact but is grateful it did.

“I’m hoping that all these changes are indicative of what it’s going to be like in the future and that they’re going to continue to improve the housing experience on campus,” she said.

Vice President Jerrett Phillips said the dorm rooms were opened in 1969 and house about 140 students.

He said they have worked on the plumbing in the past and always do their best to put the needs of the students first.

Since the article came out, they’ve had plumbers scoping the pipes in an attempt to find the root of the problem.

“So we have some education to do with our students because we found lots of things in our pipes that shouldn’t be there, which is kind of leading to the problem but at the same time 50-year-old pipes are going to have problems,” said Phillips.

Dr. Phillips said they’re glad the students feel comfortable and compelled to have a voice to fix problems.

“We want to have that as a part of educational models so that whenever students go out into society they are problem solvers, they are community fixers, so we are extremely proud of our students,” he said.

Vice President Phillips said they want to create forums where more students can come together to express their issues and concerns.

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