On August 25, 2022, all students residing in Phase 3 apartments were informed that they would have to temporarily move out of their dorms and into hotels so that Florida A&M University (FAMU) could treat an issue with pests.
The university instructed students to pack all essential items, and to prepare their rooms accordingly for pest control by putting their belongings in trash bags and getting them away from the floor.
FAMU provided students with a shuttle service to hotels off Apalachee Parkway and Monroe St, and a temporary meal plan to compensate for students in Phase 3 not having access to kitchens.
Since then, many students have expressed grievances with the lack of communication from the university, living conditions in the hotels and the inconvenience of the shuttle service.
Ramyiah Terrell, a first-year student, has said she has had a horrible experience so far. She said her hotel lacked towels, had small bugs on the ceiling and the bathroom door in her room was falling off the hinges.
Other students have also been having similar issues with hotel cleanliness. Sydney Demar, another first-year student, stated the Seven Hills and Baymont hotels “were not livable and needed to be clean.”
One bed in the room had no pillows, the trash bins were full and the floors were dirty. The poor conditions of these hotels have also caused a number of students to travel back home for the time being. .
Along with the poor condition of the hotel rooms, there have also been issues with the shuttle service from hotels to campus.
A large number of students have mentioned shuttle tracker times being inaccurate, drivers pulling off without allowing them on and shuttles not showing up entirely.
In addition to the cleanliness issues in hotels and transportation inaccuracies, FAMU’s communication has been sub par. Some residents of Phase 3 found out about having to move out via an Instagram post. The university sent out an email and hosted zoom calls after most students had already found out.
Hotel communication has also been lacking, with a lot of students not having hotel keys during their move out times, hotel keys being deactivated while students are still residing in their rooms and students being told inaccurate move out dates.
Students can expect to be able to move back into their dorms by September 1st.