Voices heard through Top Life Dorm Council Published Feb. 23, 2010 By Dorm Management Office 30th Civil Engineer Squadron VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Throughout the Year of the Air Force Family, each month is given a different focus. February's focus is on our Single Airmen, who are a very important part of our "family." Many of our single Airmen across the Air Force live in dormitories and, here at Vandenberg, they are luckier than most! All rooms at Vandenberg are private and were renovated in the past 15 years. Sure, it may not be the White House, but residents of the dorms here do have a voice and that voice can, and has, affected real change within the dorms. These changes have positively impacted quality of life for current and future residents. How do changes like these come about? The avenue for addressing these quality of life issues is the Top Life Dorm Council. The TLDC meets the last Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. in the G.I. Java in Building 13123. We encourage all of our dorm residents to attend. The best part of the TLDC is that it is run by dormitory residents who've been responsible for several quality of life improvements to our dormitory campus. Let me point out a few of the changes the TLDC had a vital role in bringing to fruition in just the past year. The first and largest change has affected every dormitory resident. Currently, we are completing the installation of a state-of-the-art locking system. The need for this project was originally brought up by concerned residents during a TLDC meeting. As a result of their comments, the new locking system was purchased to provide greater security and accountability for all our residents and their possessions. Other safety issues were resolved through the TLDC as well. Parking and traffic pattern concerns resulted in all of the dormitory parking lots being repainted this past year in an effort to help prevent damages to pedestrians and vehicles. So, as you can see, resident participation in the TLDC does help improve overall safety and security of all residents; but these are not the only type of items addressed by the TLDC. Numerous improvements have been made to our facilities to enhance dorm residents' quality of life as well. Ceiling fans were installed in every room of the Titan Dormitory due to TLDC input regarding the poor air circulation and resulting high temperatures. TLDC participants also noted the need for additional washers and dryers in the Titan laundry room. Based on this input, a project is in progress to increase the number of washers and dryers in the laundry room. Due to the lack of space, this project turned out to be a lot more complicated than just installing a few more washers and dryers. So, the 30th Civil Engineer Squadron stepped up and knocked down walls, rerouted water lines and installed new electrical panels. These extra washers and dryers will help with the weekend and evening rushes experienced in the Titan laundry room. Centrally located storage cages were also recently installed to address TLDC concerns regarding the lack of closet space in resident's rooms. These are just a few of the many facility improvements that were initiated through TLDC input. However, the scope of changes made through the TLDC doesn't stop with facility improvements either. Several items were purchased last year for our dormitories as a result of TLDC input. Probably the most popular are the new 32-inch LCD televisions, which were installed in all the modular dormitories, and the 52-inch LCD televisions installed in both the Titan dayroom and the dorm Theater Room. Vacuum cleaners were purchased for every room in the Titan facility, and new mattresses were purchased for all dorm rooms. In addition, the new bed-in-a-bag program was instituted, which gives each resident a brand new set of stylish linens and a comforter when they move into their dorm room. Purchases were made for outdoor areas as well, to include brand new gas barbecue grills located throughout the entire campus. Thanks to TLDC involvement, current and future residents will benefit from these purchases for many years to come. Along with security, safety, facility and other quality of life improvements, the TLDC has affected some policy changes as well. Specifically, input from the TLDC convinced wing leaders that Airmen living in the dormitories were responsible enough to police themselves on late night weekends, which alleviated the need for the Charge of Quarters program. Eliminating this program saved the wing 2,000 man-hours. Last but not least, the suggestion to open G.I. Java during lunch hours (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) originated from the TLDC. This change to the G.I. Java hours is very popular with residents, who flock to the facility during their lunch break. These changes demonstrate that residents can affect change via the TLDC. The Top Life Dorm Council is there to improve every aspect of dormitory life for our single Airmen. As such, I strongly encourage our dorm residents to actively participate in this vital council so their voice can be heard. Participation will help us ensure we continuously improve the quality of life for the single Airmen in our Air Force family.