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University of Massachusetts Boston students and staff have been complaining about the automatic doors on the upper level and first floor Campus Centre being broken, a recurring issue during the winter. The East and West Residence Halls experience a similar problem with their accessible doors.

“It’s just because of wind from the harbour,” said Flower Pauer, an environmental science graduate student. “It blows in, and the pressure pushing against the doors’ automatic system makes them get stuck. That same wind turns the walkway by Clark [Athletic Centre] into a giant wind tunnel.”

Students have reported that it’s “nearly impossible” to walk down the path from Residence Hall East to the back doors of University Hall and Campus Center Upper Level. There have been four related injuries so far in 2025, according to UMBPD incident reports.

The university administration has made moves to remedy this situation, starting with the residence halls. Chancellor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco announced the installation of a “Big A—Fan” in the Clark Athletic Centre parking lot to blow back against the wind.

“[Big A—Fan] will blow back against the wind blowing in from the harbour, hopefully eradicating the issue of wind-related injuries,” wrote Suarez-Orozco.

However, Alec Trick, a maintenance worker at the university, expressed concerns about the fan’s impact on the campus’s electrical system. “Well, it’s in the name. A ‘Big A—Fan’ requires a big A— amount of electricity. It’s like when you plug anything into one of these apartments and the lights start flickering like it’s the f—in’ Fourth of July,” said Trick.

As for the Campus Centre doors, the university decided to try completely removing the doors for a more “open concept” layout. However, the weather has not made this transition easy, with the upper level and first floor becoming just as windy as outside.

The open space has also welcomed nonhuman visitors, including a flock of geese that took over the upper level, including the Dunkin’ Doughnuts. In response, the administration placed two “Big A—Fans” in the upper-level lobby and Campus Centre Terrace to blow strong enough to keep the geese away.

Members of faculty and staff have complained that the campus was better before any changes. In a letter signed anonymously as “dedicated faculty,” they suggested that the university “get better doors.” A representative for the administration responded, “That would make too much sense.”

Administration has refused to comment further on this matter or on the allegations that the intern who sent out the response has yet to be seen by anyone since its release.

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