“It was a nightmare.” – Students Talk About Their Experiences After Residence Halls Close

Many UWM students are scrambling to figure out a plan for their future housing after UWM’s decision to close its residence halls, forcing thousands of students to find new homes and move all of their belongings in a short period of time.

Following Chancellor Mark Mone’s announcement that UWM’s online classes would continue for the rest of the spring semester, Governor Tony Evers’ emergency order that prohibited mass gatherings in Wisconsin and a possible case of COVID-19 at UWM earlier this month, University Housing announced the complete shutdown of its residence halls on March 18. How long the shutdown will last is indefinite, but most housing contracts have been suspended and students who were already absent for the extended spring break were asked not to return.

The shutdown announcement was sent out in an email, after several prior emails that University Housing sent out without warning that the shutdown was going to happen.

Because of the rapid development of the situation and the lack of forewarning, many student residents felt blindsided and shocked by the shutdown announcement. Most student residents are affected by the shutdown, and there’s still a blanket of uncertainty over everyone. Some students had already left for spring break when the announcement was made and had to return to pack their belongings. Others leave internships and jobs on the line as they move back to their hometowns. Students without other housing options – international students and those without safe places to go back to – could apply to stay in housing, but not every applicant has received a response yet.

“It’s been very stressful. I panicked the first night,” said Maddie Mattson, a digital studio practice student in her fourth year. Mattson was living in Kenilworth when the shutdown announcement arrived in her inbox. Because she couldn’t find other housing options in Milwaukee, she had to move back to her hometown in Pembine, Wis. – a three hour drive away.

“I had to pack everything up in a few days and get out as soon as I could,” Mattson said. “The shutdown was a problem for me because everything is so uncertain now. That same week I found out my internship was getting pushed back at least a few weeks. So, to have housing come by and give not much of a time window to get my thoughts together and to leave, it kind of uprooted my plans even more.”

University Housing sent residents like Mattson at least four emails updating them on how the move out process will go, advice on moving out of the dorms and what to do if they have nowhere else to live, like in the cases of many international students.

However, none of the students interviewed for this article received information about the prorated refunds for housing and dining costs announced by UW System President Ray Cross on March 20. The refunds are supposed to cover the remainder of spring semester housing and dining costs for dorm residents who are able to move out of their dorms.

“I think Housing tried to update us as much as they could,” Mattson said. “I understand it was hard for them to make decisions so fast. I wish they were more clear.” Mattson says her future plans for living in Milwaukee are uncertain, but she had an offer for a place to live from friends living in Oak Creek.

President of Student Housing Administrative Council Nat Taylor said, “I never thought University Housing would actually close and that blindsided me, as I’m sure it did to a lot of students.” Taylor was vacationing in Florida before the shutdown announcement was sent, and they had to drive back to UWM to move their belongings out of Sandburg Hall’s East tower.

Though they’re a member of student government, they didn’t receive any warnings about the housing shutdown. “I work for university housing,” they said, “We didn’t know this was coming either. I had a lot of friends – myself included – who took summer jobs, like custodial or summer residential assistants or what have you. We don’t know what that’s going to look like yet.”

“The last that I had talked to my team and my supervisor, there was this idea that Housing would not close,” they said. “There was no indication that Housing closing would even be considered.”

“We got the email over spring break,” Taylor said. “There were a few residents asking us questions and we didn’t have any answers to guide them to.”

Taylor hopes they can come back to Sandburg in the summer for their summer job. “I already have a contract and a place picked out with a friend for next year, so hopefully nothing happens to jinx that.”

Emily Hardin, a junior who switched her majors from early childhood education to the pre nursing program, voiced her concerns after moving out of Sandburg’s South tower. Hardin described Sandburg’s hectic move-out process during spring break. “It was like a nightmare, but toned down.”

“Even talking about it right now is surreal,” she said. “We packed up everything in our room like we were moving out at the end of the year, packed it all into our cars – we only had two hours to do it. It was like, get your things, give us your key, tape your envelope, put it in a bin and go.”

University Housing told students to sign up for a move-out time in an email sent out to residents of each residence hall. In the email, students were informed they have two hours to move all of their belongings out of their rooms with at most two guests helping, although residents can request additional guests through University Housing.

Having lived in University Housing since 2017, Hardin lives with her godparents in Wausau, Wis. now. “I’m so thankful my computer hasn’t given out on me and that my godparents have internet. If my computer decided to give out, I might have to get a new one depending on if there’s any tech support on me or not.”

Some of Hardin’s current stress is credited to Housing’s ambiguity before the shutdown announcement. “It was stressful because Housing wasn’t being adamant with the updates, because when they first gave them out, they said they’d let us know by Friday, and it was Monday. It was stressful not knowing what to tell my job and tell people I care about because they were also worried.”

Since the university switched to having its classes online, Hardin is worried about the future of her education hanging in the balance. “I’ve already put three years into my education and I’m one of those students who switched their majors late in the game, so I’m here until 23. But with this happening, I don’t know how long I’m going to be here.”

“It’s been a whirlwind. It feels like everything changes within hours,” says Hayley Crandall, a JAMS student who had to drive back from her break in suburban Chicago to move her belongings from Sandburg’s East tower. Crandall had applied to stay in university housing two days before the Chancellor’s announcement that all UWM classes would transition to online. Since then, she hasn’t heard a response.

Crandall wanted to stay in the towers. “I had an internship that I applied for in Milwaukee, as well as my job. I need to be in Milwaukee, I just got a job, and I’m finally starting my career. In four or five hours, I got an email saying Housing was just totally shut down.”

The shutdown email specifically says that residents must be moved out by March 27, but when Crandall viewed the signup form for moving out, dates for students from Illinois stretched to April 7. “I didn’t follow that,” she said. “It felt ridiculous to me.” When she did move out, her experience was bizarre and exhausting.

“There was no one to talk to at move out,” she said. “No one was checking what time you had, they didn’t even hand you instructions. It was put in your mailbox, which I kind of get why. There were two people at the front desk and that was it. It felt like it didn’t have a lot of structure.”

Crandall said she was overwhelmed by the move out but felt transitioning to online classes would go smoothly. She said staying home beyond the extended spring break hasn’t hit her yet. “In my brain, I was only supposed to be here for two weeks. Within a couple days of break, I find out I’m here until August.”

When asked about refunds, each of the subjects said they weren’t sure when they were getting refunds or whether they would get them at all.

UW System Director of Media Relations Mark Pitsch said each university within the UW System is responsible for figuring out the details of how to handle distributing refunds. However, students will receive their prorated refunds for the remainder of the semester by the end of spring semester 2020, according to a UW System press release.

This means the refund checks will cover the amount owed for housing and dining costs for the remainder of the spring semester 2020 after March 15, even if students are unable to move out of their dorms by that date because of issues related to coronavirus. Students at UWM can contact University Housing for more information and updates on their prorated housing refunds.

The university also announced it will offer $200 to each student employee who lost their job at UWM as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m grateful that I have a home to come back to, and as much as I’m upset, these are just uncertain times,” Mattson said. “I can understand the University is trying its best.”