In January, Florida A&M (FAMU) students that reside in McGuinn Hall and Gibbs Hall were placed in hotels overnight due to extreme maintenance issues.
Now in March, maintenance issues still persists in the dorms.
Shayon Coney, 19, an English student from Miami got sick immediately after moving on-campus in late August because the vents in his apartment in Palmetto North had mold. To add insult to injury, his roommate dropped out of school and stole some of his articles of his clothing, shoes and even some of his undergarments. Coney did not enjoy his time in the dorm.
“I was disgusted with my living situation, my neighbor had a big rat in front of his apartment door that remained there for about a week and a half,” said Coney.
Jovonee King, 19, a business administration student lives in McGuinn Hall and has been suffering with unresolved maintenance issues since she moved in. She has witnessed poor living conditions of her own and of neighbors and friends. No working hot water, heater not working, major leaks, mold on ceilings and chipped paint on the walls were some of King’s observations.
“We had extreme heat waves in the building, it got to the point where all the girls had their doors propped open because it was so hot. But we’re not allowed to prop our room doors open so we were told to close them,” said King.
In early January girls on several floors in McGuinn and Gibbs Hall experienced major leaks and were placed in the Quality Inn on Apalachee Parkway for a night.
Upon their return King and friends noticed a ladybug infestation in their rooms. “One of my friends got a bottle and collected about 20 ladybugs in the bottle in her room,” said King.
King and others have made several attempts to put in request to get maintenance issues resolved. It seems as if their requests are not made a priority or problems are not being properly resolved.
“My friend had an air leak in her window and when the maintenance person came to fix it he sealed it shut, instead of fixing the window. That is a major safety hazard,” said King.
King is awaiting a decision on whether or not she can be relocated to another facility.
As a new academic year is on the rise, current freshmen and other students who stay on-campus look forward to better service from university housing and living in the new dorms that will be finished in the fall.