Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Amid parent concerns, SCSU tries to house largest freshman class
By CHARLENE SLAUGHTER, T&D Special Assignments |Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Davia Goodmon was one of several outraged parents in the vice president of student services’ office at South Carolina State University Friday. She had paid her daughter’s tuition and was set to leave her, but there was no housing.
She picked up her cell phone to call The T&D.
"I’m a concerned parent at South Carolina State College," she said in a voice mail. "My concern today is me and over 100 other parents have paid our kids’ tuition ..."
Goodman became quiet as a voice she later identified as the chief of police there is heard ordering the parents to leave the building.
"If this is a housing issue, it’s going to have to be dealt with tomorrow morning," the man says. "There’s nothing that the vice president can do for you at this time. They are working diligently on it and that’s the best we can do at the present time, so I know it’s frustrating, some people are a little upset, I know you’ve been out here all day, but there’s really nothing the vice president can do at the time so I’m gonna ask everyone to vacate this building.
"If you have hotel arrangements, you need to go ahead and take care of that. If you have other business you need to go ahead and take care of that. A lot of freshmen have their schedules I believe at 8:30 there’s MLK, they should continue to do that ..."
And the message ends.
Goodmon said she was left not knowing what to do or when to bring her child to school. She lives in Greenville, and the university was not providing hotels, so she and her daughter would have to go back home.
"Everyone else has left for the day," she said. "They said for her to go home, to leave. There’s nothing they can do for us today. I have to work tomorrow. I don’t know what to do."
Goodman’s concerns have been echoed by other parents who arrived on campus to leave their children, only to find that there was not enough room to house them. As of Tuesday, Goodman and her daughter were still in Greenville. She said she has been calling and calling, "but the lady handling it has left on vacation." With classes starting today, Goodman said, "I can’t bring her back up there and just leave her. Really, we’ve gotten no answers."
The university finds itself dealing with such parental and student frustrations amid trying to accommodate its largest-ever freshman class.
An increased demand for residence life by upperclassmen and a nearly 35 percent higher freshman enrollment rate this fall semester have caused a housing shortage, the university said in a statement late Tuesday.
Wednesday’s first day of classes are key.
"The actual occupancy rates for residence life will be available on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007, after 7 p.m. Unclaimed rooms become available to students on the waiting list on that date," SCSU stated. "The university continues to assist students who have met their financial obligation by the deadline and seek campus housing."
Six traditional residence halls and three apartment-style complexes are available for students to reside in this upcoming semester. The apartment-style complexes include the Andrew Hugine Suites, a $42 million 755-bed facility completed in 2006, and University Village Apartments, which the S.C. State Real Estate Foundation purchased in mid-2007.
Dr. Kevin Rolle, vice president for student services, indicated the university is able to offer a total of 2,300 beds to new and returning students this semester. S.C. State’s total student population exceeds 4,600.
"We are working vigorously to accommodate students who have requested on-campus residence," Rolle said. "We wish to provide educational opportunities to the greatest number of students possible."
No matter what resolutions are made, parents like Angela Nelson blame school officials for taking an exciting moment away from their families. She was among those Friday told to go home, which for them was back to North Carolina. Her son has been assigned a room in one of the oldest dorms on campus, but it won’t be ready until Wednesday, and she said she is still left with questions.
"I’m so upset!" she said. "We are out of North Carolina. We went there on the 17th. You had to have a zero balance and we took care of that. When it was time to get a room, they told us it’s up to you to have transportation; no hotel rooms, you’re on your own. People were there from Texas, Tennessee, all over the place. Some of those kids do not have rooms at all. Parents are taking off from our jobs. I have a business, I cannot do that, but that’s my son. These are freshmen. I am so upset and hurt that they are taking this exciting moment from me. I want to see my son go away; it’s a new venture for him.
"Classes start Wednesday," she said. "They told me Friday where we’re going to be but it won’t be ready until Wednesday. They told me we got a dorm ready, but are these dorms safe, is there adequate wiring? They are listed in Ebony as one of the most prestigious schools in the country. You couldn’t tell that."
Nelson will be working today while her husband takes a day off from his job to bring their son to South Carolina State. Still, they worry if there really is a room, and if it will be ready this time.
"They said this is the biggest freshman class, well they shouldn’t accept so many freshmen," she said. "He’s in one of the cheapest dorms on campus, but are they safe? ... I’m a mother of three. This is my first one going to college and I don’t get to see him go to college. I’m not going. This is ridiculous. Once he gets there, with so many kids, will there be enough books, enough food for everybody? When we get down there, will the rooms be there? The kids are going into a situation where they don’t know where to go, what to do, who to talk to -- it’s complete chaos. But they got my money."
Davia Goodmon was one of several outraged parents in the vice president of student services’ office at South Carolina State University Friday. She had paid her daughter’s tuition and was set to leave her, but there was no housing.
She picked up her cell phone to call The T&D.
"I’m a concerned parent at South Carolina State College," she said in a voice mail. "My concern today is me and over 100 other parents have paid our kids’ tuition ..."
Goodman became quiet as a voice she later identified as the chief of police there is heard ordering the parents to leave the building.
"If this is a housing issue, it’s going to have to be dealt with tomorrow morning," the man says. "There’s nothing that the vice president can do for you at this time. They are working diligently on it and that’s the best we can do at the present time, so I know it’s frustrating, some people are a little upset, I know you’ve been out here all day, but there’s really nothing the vice president can do at the time so I’m gonna ask everyone to vacate this building.
"If you have hotel arrangements, you need to go ahead and take care of that. If you have other business you need to go ahead and take care of that. A lot of freshmen have their schedules I believe at 8:30 there’s MLK, they should continue to do that ..."
And the message ends.
Goodmon said she was left not knowing what to do or when to bring her child to school. She lives in Greenville, and the university was not providing hotels, so she and her daughter would have to go back home.
"Everyone else has left for the day," she said. "They said for her to go home, to leave. There’s nothing they can do for us today. I have to work tomorrow. I don’t know what to do."
Goodman’s concerns have been echoed by other parents who arrived on campus to leave their children, only to find that there was not enough room to house them. As of Tuesday, Goodman and her daughter were still in Greenville. She said she has been calling and calling, "but the lady handling it has left on vacation." With classes starting today, Goodman said, "I can’t bring her back up there and just leave her. Really, we’ve gotten no answers."
The university finds itself dealing with such parental and student frustrations amid trying to accommodate its largest-ever freshman class.
An increased demand for residence life by upperclassmen and a nearly 35 percent higher freshman enrollment rate this fall semester have caused a housing shortage, the university said in a statement late Tuesday.
Wednesday’s first day of classes are key.
"The actual occupancy rates for residence life will be available on Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2007, after 7 p.m. Unclaimed rooms become available to students on the waiting list on that date," SCSU stated. "The university continues to assist students who have met their financial obligation by the deadline and seek campus housing."
Six traditional residence halls and three apartment-style complexes are available for students to reside in this upcoming semester. The apartment-style complexes include the Andrew Hugine Suites, a $42 million 755-bed facility completed in 2006, and University Village Apartments, which the S.C. State Real Estate Foundation purchased in mid-2007.
Dr. Kevin Rolle, vice president for student services, indicated the university is able to offer a total of 2,300 beds to new and returning students this semester. S.C. State’s total student population exceeds 4,600.
"We are working vigorously to accommodate students who have requested on-campus residence," Rolle said. "We wish to provide educational opportunities to the greatest number of students possible."
No matter what resolutions are made, parents like Angela Nelson blame school officials for taking an exciting moment away from their families. She was among those Friday told to go home, which for them was back to North Carolina. Her son has been assigned a room in one of the oldest dorms on campus, but it won’t be ready until Wednesday, and she said she is still left with questions.
"I’m so upset!" she said. "We are out of North Carolina. We went there on the 17th. You had to have a zero balance and we took care of that. When it was time to get a room, they told us it’s up to you to have transportation; no hotel rooms, you’re on your own. People were there from Texas, Tennessee, all over the place. Some of those kids do not have rooms at all. Parents are taking off from our jobs. I have a business, I cannot do that, but that’s my son. These are freshmen. I am so upset and hurt that they are taking this exciting moment from me. I want to see my son go away; it’s a new venture for him.
"Classes start Wednesday," she said. "They told me Friday where we’re going to be but it won’t be ready until Wednesday. They told me we got a dorm ready, but are these dorms safe, is there adequate wiring? They are listed in Ebony as one of the most prestigious schools in the country. You couldn’t tell that."
Nelson will be working today while her husband takes a day off from his job to bring their son to South Carolina State. Still, they worry if there really is a room, and if it will be ready this time.
"They said this is the biggest freshman class, well they shouldn’t accept so many freshmen," she said. "He’s in one of the cheapest dorms on campus, but are they safe? ... I’m a mother of three. This is my first one going to college and I don’t get to see him go to college. I’m not going. This is ridiculous. Once he gets there, with so many kids, will there be enough books, enough food for everybody? When we get down there, will the rooms be there? The kids are going into a situation where they don’t know where to go, what to do, who to talk to -- it’s complete chaos. But they got my money."
