I consider myself to be a pretty reasonable guy. I tend not to yell, throw tantrums or otherwise flip out. I guess I’m pretty laid back. But this year I got stuck in the infamous NU Shuffle again. Now I’m miffed.

This is the first year that I haven’t commuted. I transferred to Northeastern in the middle of my freshmen year and this year decided that I wanted to live on campus. I wanted to meet more people and get more of the city experience. So I took out a loan to pay for on-campus housing and thought I would be on the road to my best year yet at Northeastern. Well, I was wrong.

My loan hasn’t gone through yet because the Financial Aid Office or Customer Service Center or Bursar’s Office (no one wants to claim responsibility) can’t fill out their own paperwork. The level of incompetence in these offices baffles me. This grand beacon of higher education can’t seem to even employ people who can read directions.

But the financial aid problem was expected. They have screwed up or in some way discombobulated my account every semester that I’ve been here. It is the deplorable housing conditions that students here are forced to endure that has really gotten me mad.

When I moved into Burstein Hall I thought it was old, after living there I think it’s just plain disgusting. We only have one fire sprinkler in our apartment and it’s in the bathroom. Every time the window is open, or a door swings open quickly, the ceiling tiles pop up and out. This causes mold and mouse droppings to fall from the ceiling and rain down on our humble abode. And this isn’t the worse part.

Burstein is completely infested with mice. They run in and out of my room, all over our kitchen counters and through all the things in the apartment. I watched last week as seven uninvited visitors entered into our apartment through the out-dated heating system. I was grossed out, yet still calm. I blocked the holes and thought it was over. I was wrong.

I put down traps and blocked every hole I could find, but they’re still here. I lay in the top bunk each night, the place where I thought I’d be safe and listen to them running through the ceiling only a few feet above me. This is the same ceiling with the flimsy ceiling tiles that can pop out without notice.

Well, as it was once said, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” I’m declaring war on this wretched NU Shuffle. Freeland be warned, I am taking action. I am using the city, state and media (yes, that includes our beloved US News ‘ World Report) to end the shuffle once and for all. I’ve contacted organizations about the conditions here at Northeastern, and this is just the start.

I urge every student to take action. Rise up in a war on the shuffle! Call health departments, newspapers, anyone you can think of. The university has been consistently unresponsive to the needs and complaints of its student body. It is clear that Freeland and his administration is not listening to us. It is time we found people who will.

— Nicholas Puleo is a middler political science major and a member of The News staff.