Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Riley Benson
Residents of Pelican Apartments (“RHO”) can officially move back into their dorms, but not all at once.
Students were emailed by housing staff at 2 p.m. yesterday that due to further damage found in the building, the return dates will be staggered by floor number.
“It became evident the HVAC system experienced water intrusion and needed to be cleaned to ensure air quality in the building would be safe for your return. This increased the scope of the project and changed our initial timeline,” housing wrote in the email. “Students will not be allowed on floors that have not been cleared for reentry.”
Those living on the sixth and seventh floors will be allowed to return on Sunday, Oct. 27, fourth and fifth floor residents on Tuesday, Oct. 29, second and third floor residents on Thursday, Oct. 31, and first floor residents on Friday, Nov. 1. Each floor reopens after 5:30 p.m.
In housing’s email on Oct. 13, the department stated that construction would take “at least two weeks,” putting the tentative return date to Sunday, Oct. 27. According to them, repair work was carried out exactly on schedule and, for most students, was able to finish in time.
“I recently transferred to USF St. Petersburg last semester and this was my first time ever in a dorm. I never would’ve thought I’d spend more time sleeping outside it than in it,” said Victor Gallego, a senior biology major and first floor resident. “It’s really frustrating being one of the last to be let in because I’ve felt the academic and mental effects of not being in my dorm.”
For first-floor residents, it’ll be almost four weeks since they’ve been able to access their dorms, since closing on Oct. 7 and returning Nov. 1.
“It’s definitely upsetting considering I’m paying a lot of money to be on this campus, as well as, this being my last semester,” said Giovanna “Gigi” Belisario, a senior marketing major. “However, I know USF is doing what they can, although I’m disappointed in the housing team.”
Housing plans to send out emails with further information to each floor’s residents as their corresponding return dates approach.
