The housing crisis has been an ongoing issue at colleges and universities nationwide. Florida A&M University’s campus experienced its own setbacks last year when new admits and returning students felt displaced, whether they were assigned campus housing or not.
In addition to the population of students that had to look for off-campus housing for the 2022-2023 academic year, residents of Palmetto South and Phase III were temporarily faced with a crisis of their own after being forced to relocate to hotels due to a pest control issue.
The Fall 2023 semester has been met with new promises toward campus and off-campus housing.
Over the summer, the housing office invested around $3.5 million in renovations to provide more suitable living conditions for students.
Associate Director of the Office of University Housing, Herb Johnson, says that the complaints and suggestions of students who previously resided in the buildings were applied in the decisions and plans to renovate the spaces and amenities.
“Listening to, collecting and analyzing student feedback is always important,” Johnson said. “A large percentage of the justification for improvements or renovations come from student/parent concerns. We listen to that and make it a priority to take those things into account when making plans for the future. As we prioritize our plans for the future, we take into account those concerns and plan accordingly.”
In February, FAMU announced the acquisition of the Citivue at Railroad Square and the Brooklyn Yard properties outside campus. The complex contains 116 beds and has been housing students since the start of the semester. Its new name is Rattler Pointe.
In August 2022, President Robinson addressed the possible acquisition of the properties.
“For years, we have been trying to figure out a way to give FAMU a presence in the northwest area near the train tracks where development has occurred,” Robinson said. “This will give us a footprint beyond our present campus boundary. It is a highly visible and very productive area of the community.”
Transfer student Victoria Bernat, 21, is well-versed in the Rattler Pointe apartments, having lived in it the previous year through an off-campus lease after being denied housing on campus, but has doubts about the route FAMU housing is taking.
“I feel that FAMU purchasing these nearby properties is slightly helping its housing crisis, but it can only help so much,” Bernat said. “The FAMU student population increases a lot every year, so FAMU will either have to reject new student applications, which we see isn’t happening, or continue to purchase nearby properties, which only displaces the people currently living there.”
Bernat says that the solution to acquire the new properties will only help the university in “the short run.” She thinks that the more significant issue is the incoming student population numbers that are only growing.
Regarding the new admits to the university, incoming students are the first to review the changes made to housing conditions and amenities from a fresh perspective.
Jordan Washington, a first-year biology student, was aware of the negative reputation surrounding the Palmetto South residences before moving in but has nothing but compliments following their renovations.
“I believe FAMU’s funding [was] very well spent towards the new renovations,” Washington said. “Although I am a first year, the YouTube videos and reviews that I’ve heard prior indicate that this is a huge and well-deserved upgrade. FAMU is doing an excellent job compared to other universities who don’t have enough housing for their students. Renovating Palmetto South and Phase 3 was a good choice for the university and students because it’s getting rid of the infamous reputation.”
These changes have not gone unnoticed by students.
Previous residents like junior psychology student Angelique Hinds, who lived in Palmetto South last year, recognize the modifications being implemented despite their rough history with campus residence halls.
“I honestly do believe they’re trying, especially with the renovations and acquiring more student apartments seeing as there were multiple complaints about the conditions and housing availability,” Hinds said.
The renovations and purchases are not the only areas in which the FAMU Board of Trustees and housing department are trying to make a difference in students’ experiences. The demolition of Gibbs Hall caused quite a stir on the HBCU campus after students returned from Labor Day weekend to its visible changes.
Built in 1955, Gibbs Hall was named after FAMU co-founder Thomas V. Gibbs. Gibbs served as one of the oldest residence buildings, housing students until 2019 when it closed due to its unstable and deteriorating structure.
FAMU’s facilities project manager, Bodie Young, released a statement saying that the demolition process officially began on Monday, Sept. 4. The project has cost the university $1.5 million, which is only a small percentage of the $11 million that was funded by the FAMU Board of Trustees for a new 500-bed residence within the lot.
Young told The FAMUAN there is currently “no completion date” for the new residence hall. However, Johnson confirms a university announcement promising 2,000 additional beds on campus to expand housing over the next three years. This consists of a 500-bed and 700-bed residence hall “slated to be complete by fall 2025” and an 800-bed mixed-use apartment complex “expected to be available to students by 2026.”
Aware of students’ concerns about housing on campus, the Office of University Housing declares their future goals and plans to be implemented in the coming years to combat the ongoing crisis.
“These plans are in different phases of the approval process but still being discussed,” Johnson said. “Now, we are committed to getting more students residing on campus through new housing projects that could increase our capacity for housing students by over 40%,” Johnson said. “Along with that, we look to continue to develop and build communities conducive to student success including but not limited to classroom space, tutorial labs, and learning communities.”