Some students are livid after not receiving a notice that the housing application would no longer be available on July 31, 2019.
The office of Housing and Residence Life released a tweet to inform students of this on the morning of the application reopening date.
Hello Aggies,
Due to the overwhelming interests in housing for the 2019-2020 school term, all spaces in our on-campus facilities and University Apartments have been filled. The Housing application will not reopen on today, July 31, 2019 for Continuing Students.
— NCAT Housing (@ncathousing) July 31, 2019
Due to a miscommunication, the notice was set to inform students last week instead of on the day the application’s intended relaunch date, according to Todd Simmons, Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations.
More students are left anxious wondering where they will live during the academic year.
Several students have shared their frustrations via social media. Many, just as others have done in the past, are not able to return to campus due to lack of housing.
It appears the housing issue is something that has been recurring. During the 2018-2019 academic year, there was the “waiting list” problem. Now, the issue is the lack of a timely notice of when an application will reopen, as classes begin in less than a month.
Allison Gilmore, senior journalism student and 2019-2020 SGA President, released a tweet explaining her feelings toward the housing process:
“Their way of delivering the message was unprofessional and has now caused panic as many students may end up homeless from this matter,” Gilmore tweeted.
I am completely disappointed in our Housing and Residence Life for not giving students enough notice about the lack of housing. Their way of delivering the message was unprofessional and has now caused panic as many students may end up homeless from this matter.
— Ms. Gilmore (@allisonjg_) July 31, 2019
The Residence Hall Association (RHA) and SGA have partnered to inform students of their consistent advocacy for students. Elected officials of RHA reassured N.C. A&T’s community of their work to create a solution to the “on-campus housing crisis.”
Students have taken to Twitter to display their concerns. Some questions surround refund of the “non-refundable” $175 application fee as well as reform to the housing system.
Simmons clarified on behalf of the Office of Housing and Residence Life that any student who paid their $175 application fee should already have a housing assignment. Therefore, there should not be any reason for students to receive a refund, according to Simmons.
August and September are the months where housing-secured students begin to forfeit their room assignment, which allows the availability of bed spaces for those who have not received a housing assignment.
N.C. A&T currently houses 45 percent of students on campus, which is above the national average of 30 percent, according to Simmons.
“We’re a growing university and we are proud of that,” he said.
Although the university’s administration is proud, they are interested in improving its processes and discussing how different systems can operate better.
“We want every student here to be happy with their experience, and we are always open to suggestions from the student body,” Simmons said.
