Petition for Mercer University's dorm rooms to be renovated. For the betterment of students' college experience holistically. I’m sure that most of you, as students, know Mercer University has a 3-year housing requirement. This is very peculiar, being that four year universities typically have a 1 year housing requirement. Mercer claims that on campus residence life “enhances the development of students holistically and as members of the academic community”.  If Mercer truly cared about the wellbeing of its students, the dorm rooms simply wouldn’t be in the condition they are in. With the exception of 1 residence hall, the dorms are ancient relics from the early stages of the university. There is mold and mildew over the walls and in the vents. There is old carpet that has built up bacteria and dust from over the years. Old air condition units that do not function properly. The air condition units are not controllable with only the only options being extreme cold or extreme heat. There is a rancid smell of sewage that comes out of the vents into the hallways daily. The bathrooms are in bad condition with mold and rust, as well as poorly kept. The dorms are badly infested with pest such as roaches. The water quality is also very questionable. These are all conditions that can make anybody physically sick, especially in the age of Covid. If Mercer truly cared about its students, they wouldn’t put our health at risk. Other than our physical health, these dorms rooms are also detrimental to students’ mental health.   The stress of living in a cramped and unsafe place on top of the stress that college students feel normally is terrible for our mental health. We deserve to have our health prioritized. And with the cost of tuition, we definitely deserve an overall better experience. This year all the people on my dorm floor, including myself, sent multiple emails reporting the bathrooms not being clean. Finally, not being able to withstand the conditions, I went and personally visited the office of residence life. Only after then was someone sent to clean the bathrooms. It took for our collective effort and for them to see our frustration and take action. As peers we need to come together as a collective and claim the environment that we all deserve. Mercer University is already well aware of the conditions of their dorm rooms, now they need to understand that students are not going to accept these conditions.