0 0 20B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Maguipe - Thursday, April 15, 2004 GERMS PAVE THE WAY FOR MARKLEY'S 'WORST' REPUTATION By Lindsey Bieber Daily Arts Writer Imagine waking up to the sound of your roommate puking one win- ter morning. A rampant stomach flu outbreak was just one factor that made Mary Markley Residence Hall the worst dorm to live in on campus :this year. The stomach flu, which spread to other dormitories, started in Markley in early February. By the end of the week, 43 cases were reported in Markley, making it feel like the walls were crawling with germs. Cafeteria procedures were altered and hand sanitizer became plentiful. Fourth-floor freshman res- ident Sarah Stedman recalled, "I was constantly peering around cor- ners, keeping my eyes peeled for the little monkey that caused the Markley outbreak." Mary Markley was far from the happiest place on Earth. Less than a month after the flu outbreak, another annoyance struck the Markley residents: construction. The demolition of one of the public health buildings next to Markley started during Spring Break and is not scheduled for completion until February 2005. Waking up to cranes at 7 a.m. is not a pleasant way to start the day. Not to mention, the daily trek to classes has changed. Washington Heights has been shut off to all traffic, including pedestri- ans. Students must either walk through the existing Public Health Building to Observatory Street or walk up East Medical Drive all the way around the Markley building. Fifth-floor freshman resident Mike Cook complains, "It really sucks waiting for someone to open the door to the Public Health Building after 6 o'clock p.m. in order to get anywhere." As if the walk to the Hill area wasn't far enough. Unlike the flu or construction, one factor of Markley that has not changed is the room sizes. The stan- dard double room where most fresh- men live is 11 feet by 12 feet. It is bad enough being in a strange place, sometimes with a strange room- mate, but compressing all the M AG A ZIN E ALI OLSEN/Daily Continuing construction around Markley Residence Hail makes it an unpopular choice with students. belongings of two people in a space no larger than a normal bedroom can be challenging. The most obvious reason for bit- ter hatred toward Markley is the dis- tance between classes, shops and college civilization from the dorm. Especially during blizzards and below-freezing temperatures, being on the Hill, Markley residents are hit hard. North Campus residents have the bus to chauffeur them to class and weekend activities and Central Campus residents have a brisk five-minute walk, but Markley and other Hill residents have it the worst with at least a 12 minute walk to Central Campus. When isolated, undersized living spaces become bacteria-infested and noisy, the result is the Mary Markley dormitory of the 2003- 2004 year. Better luck next year, Markley. Lease A Lifesttjle SPECTACULAR ANN ARBOR APARTMENT COMMUNITIES ANN ARBOR WOODS PINE\N VA LLEY green'Brier A'arrments (754) 971-3101 2167 Medord Road Ann Arbor, MI 48104 email: info@annarborwoods.com (734) 971-5210 1521 Pine Valley Boulevard Ann Arbor,MI 48104 email: info@pinevalletjapartments.com (734)665-3653 3615 GreenBrier Boulevard Ann Arbor, MI 48105 email: info@6reenbrierapartments.com All Communities Include: Heat / Water Minutes from U of M and downtown Ann Arbor Close to AATA bus line Corporate Suites xtra stora6e Welcome mm Professionallh Mancaed B: FOURMIDABLE www.fourmidable.com ...... ....