University Housing expects students to return to dormitories by Friday
Some students scheduled to live in Harper-Elliot and DeSaussure residence halls on the Horseshoe were told by University Housing one week before Move-In Day that renovations on the building were incomplete and that they would be placed in temporary housing.
Just under 24 students have been placed around campus in Bates House West, West (Green) Quad, the Honors Residence Hall and, where the majority of displaced students are, the 17th floor of Capstone House. Housing expects to have students back in their assigned residence halls by Friday.
“Those buildings underwent pretty major renovations,” said Executive Director of Housing Kirsten Kennedy. “So the mechanical systems, the plumbing systems and the electrical systems were replaced, and the bathrooms and kitchens were redone, and they got new flooring in there. [The buildings] are pretty old, so when we opened them up, we found some stuff in there that we just didn’t expect.”
It turns out that DeSaussure College caught fire in 1851, resulting in some issues that still plague the building today. Workers discovered a burned support beam, and some of the brick structures that hold up the floor had started to disintegrate, causing an unanticipated need for repair. According to Kennedy, such discoveries put the construction behind the initial schedule the contractor laid out.
“Initially we were told that we could move in one day late, then two days later [Housing] called and said that we would have to live in temporary housing,” said Chelsea Welch, a second-year early childhood education student. “We are on the 17th floor of Capstone, living with the freshmen.”
“It is extremely inconvenient,” Welch continued. “I mean, we’re thrilled to be living in new apartments, once we get to move in, but it’s just a little frustrating because we weren’t aware of the situation until it happened.”
Problems arose surrounding meal plans when the switch from Harper-Elliot College, which has apartments with full kitchens, to Capstone, which has suite-style housing, was made. Most students didn’t have a meal plan at all because they were counting on cooking in their apartments.
“[Housing] has given us vouchers for two meals a day that say that we’re in temporary housing, and they’re rebating us $30 a day,” Welch said.
According to Welch, the rebate will come as a check after the students have finally been moved into their original housing.
“It’s a nice apartment, but the location is inconvenient for both of us, and it’s frustrating that we can’t really unpack,” Paulina Berkovich, a third-year international business and marketing student, said of her temporary housing situation in West Quad. “At the same time, they’re giving us a partial refund and providing lunch and dinner every day, so at least they’re trying to make it up to us.”
Kennedy said that safety testing is scheduled for today, and a meeting will be held Monday afternoon to figure out where everything stands. A “punch” list will be given to the contractor containing anything that the school feels is incomplete or needs to be fixed. And then, with a day and a half or so of cleaning, students should be back in their regular residence halls by Friday.
“After we have the students back where they’re supposed to be, we’ll be sitting down with construction services to figure out what it is we can do to prevent this in the future,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know what the steps are yet, but it’s part of any good process, especially when things go wrong, to go back and check and see what you could have done to make the situation better.”
Some of the renovations in the residence hall include vinyl wood planking, which looks like hardwood floors, all-new stainless steel appliances, the addition of washers and dryers and completely renovated bathrooms with new tile, fixtures, bathtubs and toilets.