Photo by Mahika Kukday | The Crow’s Nest
By Mahika Kukday
Ten days after Pelican Apartments’ (RHO) residents returned to their rooms, USF St. Petersburg is trying to find their new normal. But when trying to support students who were displaced for over three weeks in the wake of Hurricane Milton, campus staff said it was hard to strike a balance.
“How much should we go back to normal?” said Kasey Szel, coordinator for Leadership and Student Organizations (LSO). “And is it kind of gauche to have a trivia night when everyone’s just trying to get their assignments in on time?”
Over 350 students who call RHO home were unable to enter the building for three weeks after they evacuated on Oct. 7 ahead of Hurricane Milton. The dormitory was closed after it sustained “water impacts” from the storm, according to campus Housing.
Most students stayed at the location they evacuated to until they were allowed back. But, about 19 students chose to move in to the provided emergency housing in the University Student Center (USC) ballrooms on Oct. 15 – the same day that USF St. Petersburg resumed regular classes and hybrid business operations.
Szel returned to work along with most others on Oct. 15, since she was not deemed essential personnel. She said that since the moment the Student Success team – the umbrella organization comprising of Student Life and Engagement, Housing, and more – resumed operations, they dedicated their efforts to supporting displaced students.
For her only student employee, interdisciplinary sciences major Lilly Figueroa Rodriguez, Szel shifted their operations on Microsoft Teams so that Rodriguez could continue to have an income while displaced from campus.
“[Rodriguez] thrives on stability so we’ve been doing our normal office hours online,” Szel said, expressing how she wanted Rodriguez to enjoy her job and that it shouldn’t be a source of stress.
Furthermore, Dr. Patti Helton, regional vice chancellor for student success, emailed professional staff to ask for volunteers that could help restore RHO rooms to their original condition. Szel said they were slated to help out on Saturday, Oct. 26, but the extra help wasn’t needed in the end.
“They’re really trying to have the timeline of what they promised to actually come to fruition,” Szel said.
RHO residents ended up moving in the same week as projected, but with a phased reopening instead of one set move-in day.
Leadership and Student Organizations (LSO) is one of the many departments in the Student Success umbrella that centers on student programming. It’s been an especially active year for clubs and organizations, Szel said, so staff also focused on rescheduling while RHO students were away.
Robert Edmiston is assistant director of operations at the Student Centers and Events (SCE), a major department based in the USC. On Oct. 17, he emailed his 32 student employees offering them an alternative employment medium while they were away.
“We wanted to make sure there was still some sort of income revenue for them since they rely on the money that they’re making here,” Edmiston said.
Through LinkedIn Learning, a program that USF has a partnership with, SCE student employees were able to take courses that related to their professional careers. Many completed trainings such as customer service and event management, and logged up to five hours a week.
“This is actually something we did back in 2020 during COVID when we first went online,” Edmiston recalled. “So those structures had already kind of been in place.”
Lisa Morrell Laubach, events manager for the regional chancellor’s office, contacted several university departments, wondering if they had online employment opportunities to offer affected students. Edmiston then worked with his department to figure out a tailormade solution for their line of work.
And for those students who sheltered in the ballrooms without access to their rooms for two weeks, Edmiston’s team worked with Housing to improve the experience.
“We know living in the ballrooms for two weeks is not going to be fun, but we can do what we can to try to help make it as great of an experience as possible,” he said.
The focus was on lifting restrictions in the ballrooms and giving students the choice rather than enforcing programming on them. Students were allowed to use the projectors to watch movies, a painting event was organized to help destress, and Edmiston said that staff was, “asking daily what they need from us.”
He expressed gratitude for the Housing department, who were stressed and pressured themselves, and their diligent efforts in remedying the situation.
Over in the Student Success Center (SSC), best known for its tutoring services, director Cynthia “CeCe” Edwards’s efforts did not go unseen either.
Ayslin Edwards, a senior environmental science and Spanish double major, works as a front desk assistant at the SSC. She said that she always loves working CeCe Edwards, but was especially grateful for her dedicated to her students during hurricane Milton.
Ayslin Edwards explained that due to the storm, timesheets were due much earlier than usual on short notice. Working right up until the deadline, she said her boss ensured that every student timesheet was submitted, so that they wouldn’t miss that paycheck.
“So, I would not have been paid this week if not for her and I am forever indebted to her,” Edwards said.
RHO residents who would like to report missing or damaged items, or simply find a friendly face to talk to, they can visit the Pelican Apartments Recovery Support Team until 1 p.m. today, or email them anytime at stp-pelicanrecovery@usf.edu. For academic and other concerns, students should contact Dr. Jacob Diaz, USF St. Petersburg’s Dean of Students.
For counselling and mental health services, the Wellness Center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in SLC 2200. Students can call 727-873-4422 to schedule an appointment.
