With a student’s bathroom door open and shower running, three maintenance men subcontracted by Grand Valley State University entered a dorm unexpectedly on Dec. 18. The maintenance workers, entering to fix a repair, failed to announce themselves until senior Madison Lumley made it known that she had been preparing to shower.

Stuck in her bathroom, Lumley said she underwent intense discomfort and anxiety from the workers entering her space. The incident sparks questions regarding both safety procedures and the privacy of on-campus living centers.

Over break, GVSU students were given the option to stay in their on-campus residence. Lumley chose to stay in her dorm, located on the Pew Campus. She went through the typical process to obtain winter break accommodations, including submitting a digital contract and signature on her Banner housing portal.

The University informed students staying on campus that maintenance employees would be working on fire alarms in dorms, and Lumley was given a five day window to expect the repair. Multiple maintenance workers, escorted by a resident assistant (RA), first arrived to Lumley’s unit on Dec. 17. The group knocked loudly multiple times and announced themselves before entering Lumley’s room, following common procedure.

When the group returned the following day to continue repairs, Lumley, about to shower, claims they didn’t announce their presence.

“The men didn’t announce who they were, and only knocked once before entering my dorm,” Lumley said. “It was just a really, really weird situation (that) shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

Startled, Lumley alerted the workers to her presence. From the bathroom, she yelled, “Hey, I’m in here.” The three maintenance workers then acknowledged who they were, and explained what they were doing. After the men apologized to Lumley, she was under the impression they were going to return, allowing her the privacy to get dressed. However, that was not the case.

“One man started yelling through the door, ‘It’s gonna be loud in here for a few minutes, if you’ll just close the door,’” Lumley said. “Then, I was even more confused because I thought they would have given me the privacy to not be naked on the other side of (the) door while there (were) three men standing inside my dorm.”

The fire alarm began going off as the men continued to work. Throughout the encounter, Lumley said she was confused and fearful. She recorded the situation, which was shared on her TikTok account, and has since received over a thousand views. In the video, viewers can hear the maintenance workers talking to Lumley moments before the fire alarm was triggered. Many students commented on the post, sharing similar instances that have happened at GVSU, and their frustration that nothing had been done about it.

“Housing (staff) know when residents will be on campus based on responses received from the email sent before break, which (asks) residents to indicate if they will be on campus,” said Adam Tate, the facilities manager for Housing and Residence Life. “This list of residents is also provided to Grand Valley’s Police Department (GVPD) and Facilities for their usage.”

This reporting process is designed to ensure the safety of students staying on campus, and to help staff know which rooms have active residents. When students stay on campus over break, Housing provides signs that read, “STOP, This unit is occupied.” Signs are taped to the doors of applicable units.

“Multiple GVSU representatives have reached out to the resident (Lumley) to apologize,” Tate said. ”We hope to collaborate with the resident to learn more about this incident, and find ways to prevent this from happening in the future.”

However, it appears representatives only reached out to Lumley following the publication of an article by local news organization WZZM 13 on her experience. A formal apology has also since been issued to Lumley by the University.

GVSU Housing staff have coordinated a meeting with Lumley in an effort to find safer ways of maintenance working on rooms. Lumley said one of her suggestions will be adding chain locks to students’ doors. To push for change, Lumley plans to talk about what went wrong in, not only her situation, but others’ similar experiences.

“43% of campus crimes are sexual assault,” Lumley said. “25% of female college students will report sexual assault, and those are just the ones brave enough to speak up. It was a very eye-opening situation that it was so easy for someone to enter my dorm, and make me feel like I was overreacting (about) them invading my privacy while I was showering. It shouldn’t be that way.”