Upperclassmen temporarily housed in local hotels

When Autumn Duke found out her on-campus housing assignment had been moved off campus this summer, she couldn't believe it.

"I called my mom and I was like 'are you serious'?" Duke said.

The senior from Charlotte applied for campus housing during the scheduled application period. A week after she received the notice that she was assigned to Wilson Hall, she got an official e-mail informing her she had been reassigned to one of three hotels -- Wingate by Wyndham, Hawthorne INN or Brookstown Inn -- in downtown Winston-Salem.

Duke is one of approximately 140 WSSU students temporarily assigned to one of three hotels in the city, according to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Calvin Phillips.

Phillips said that WSSU's Department of Housing and Residence Life usually reserves about 900 of the 2,377 beds for incoming freshmen each year.

More than 1,300 freshmen were accepted to attend WSSU this past spring.

"We were asked for more space [for freshmen]," Phillips said.

"We were able to accommodate the freshmen to a point. We had a meeting with Chancellor [Donald] Reaves, and he decided to guarantee housing for freshmen."

Guaranteed housing for freshmen is a first in the WSSU history.

Duke lives in the Wingate by Wyndham on South Main Street. She uses the shuttle from the hotel to campus. The shuttle is provided by the city of Winston-Salem's Transit Authority and paid for by the University.

Duke said that it is important that the freshmen stay closer to campus so that they can make a smoother transition to the college lifestyle.

"They [freshmen] need on-campus experience. That's just a part of coming in as a freshmen," Duke said.

She admits the University made the right decision.

Duke said that staying in the hotel hasn't been too much of a hassle because she's still able to participate in on-campus activities.

"In between my classes, I'm used to going back to my residence hall, lying down for a little bit, and getting back up for my classes," she said.

"But it [the reassignment] has helped me. I am in the library more."

However, she said she hopes the campus house shortage doesn't reoccur.

"They need to have a better way to know who will be attending the University, and if they have enough housing," she said. "If not, it's sad to say, but they're either going to have to start denying people or stop giving housing to locals [students from Forsyth County]."

According to Phillips, the administration plans to relocate the displaced students back on campus by next semester.

"The plan is to have no students in the hotels next semester," Phillips said.

He said students graduating or dropping out would open more spaces and get most if not all of the students back on campus. Phillips also mentioned students who live on campus have until Nov. 3 to opt out of on-campus housing for next semester.