Residents at Western Kentucky University’s McLean Hall are demanding financial compensation from the school, citing “unbearable” and “miserable” living conditions at the residence hall over the course of the school year.

The grievances concerning McLean Hall are listed in an online petition created by WKU junior Kayla Distler, who said she and other students living at the dorm recently reached a “breaking point.”

The petition alleges students at McLean Hall have been without hot water or heat over the past two weeks, leaving many of them freezing during a cold front that moved through the region late last week.

Other grievances such as mold outbreaks, broken washing machines, unreliable internet connections and further problems concerning the HVAC system over the course of the school year are also listed in the petition.

“We have had issues on and off quite literally since the first day we got on campus,” Distler said. “I made the petition because this (last) weekend was a breaking point for me. I was fortunate enough that my dad sent me money for me to buy a radiator for heating. Many rooms fell below 60 degrees and we have had no hot water since March 30.

“It doesn’t feel unreasonable to demand hot water and heat,” she said. “I just feel like we pay too much to live in this dorm that’s supposed to be one of the nicer dorms, and we were literally freezing over the weekend with no hot air or water. We are looking for financial compensation this year.”

As of Tuesday morning, the petition titled “Western Kentucky University, McLean Hall Residents Demand Financial Compensation” had more than 200 signatures and can be found at change.org.

WKU spokesman Jace Lux provided the following statement from the university on the petition: “The university is committed to providing safe and comfortable living environments for our residential students. WKU is aware of the petition currently circulating regarding McLean Hall. Housing and Residence Life staff members are in the process of meeting with residents to ensure their concerns are resolved.”

However, Distler said the living conditions residents experienced throughout the past two semesters warrant a refund and recognition from WKU.

“I want them to acknowledge that our problems this entire year have been real,” Distler said. “Not a lot of the stuff happening has been in our control, and we rely on them to react appropriately within a reasonable time.

“There is constantly something wrong in that building,” she said. “This past week specifically reached a point where it was unlivable. We have constantly been dealing with issues, and we continually get put on the back burner. There is always a lack of response to maintenance requests.”

She said more than 100 students are housed at McLean Hall, and each pay $3,185 per semester to live there.

Distler said many chose the dorm because of its reputation as one of the nicer residence halls on campus.

While she hopes improvements are on the horizon, Distler said the students should be reimbursed for the conditions under which they lived.

“There is no reason a school this expensive…should be treating its students this way,” she said. “This could have been prevented. This is the final straw.”

Fellow resident Nicole Brunner, a sophomore at WKU, moved into McLean Hall in January.

Brunner said over the past two weeks residents have had to take cold and lukewarm showers, and she has gone to bed wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants to battle the cold.

“Nobody told us what was going on and we didn’t have any answers at first,” Brunner said. “We were told to go shower at the gym or at a friend’s dorm. It’s not just McLean either – it’s all of these dorms having issues upon issues. They (WKU workers) should do better.

“My toilet wasn’t flushing properly, and it took over a month to fix it,” she said. “I had mold in my vent ever since I moved in, and they haven’t done anything about it. We deserve some form of compensation. I’m not sure what that will be or what they will offer. We just need some sort of refund.”

– Follow reporter John Reecer on Twitter @JReecerBGDN or visit bgdailynews.com.