The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

The Editorially Independent Voice of The University of Akron

The Buchtelite

Cadets' housing crisis leaves them homeless

” Josh Harris lived the life, as some would say. After all, living with his four friends on a full room and board scholarship while pursuing a career he loved wasn’t too bad. For the sophomore ROTC Air Force cadet, however, this life is a thing of the past.”

Josh Harris lived the life, as some would say.

After all, living with his four friends on a full room and board scholarship while pursuing a career he loved wasn’t too bad.

For the sophomore ROTC Air Force cadet, however, this life is a thing of the past. His new day will consist of a commute from his parent’s house in Canton to Akron-and then out to Kent for ROTC training. He’s not the only one who needs to make new living arrangements.

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He and his roommates will have to find somewhere new to live next year, and it’s not their fault.

According to Harris and his roommate, Scott Seibert, various ROTC Air Force cadets have lived in the same townhouse for the last eight years.

Seibert has lived in this townhouse two of those eight semesters. He has lived in university housing for all of the years he has been in school.

The townhouse environment, according to Seibert, is rather isolated.

Their only method of communication with RAs is through e-mail and regular mail-both of which they check regularly.

So when they went to fill out the re-application for housing in Ritchie this year on April 1, they were met with a different type of April Fools’ joke-the bad one.

This time, the application was different, explained Seibert. It said that I was already past the deadline. This is the first time I heard about it. I had to fill out an application to get the form that I normally got in the past.

Seibert, rather worried, went to the student union the next day to attempt to keep his regular townhouse room. A student assistant, however, assured him that he had no chance of finding a place to live this next school year.

In so many words, anyway. I asked him if there was anything I could do to help us out, Seibert said. The [student assistant to Valerie Bloodworth] replied, Well, besides creating a time machine…?

The problem, however, was that a time machine probably wouldn’t have helped. The only indication of any change in housing was cryptically enclosed in an email sent to all townhouse residents on February 26.

HEY ROO TOWN RESIDENT!, it read. Some of you have been wondering about housing for next year…Residence Life and Housing is working on getting those materials together JUST FOR YOU! Starting Wednesday, March 4, stop by your residence hall front desk for more information! GO ZIPS!

Seibert and Harris didn’t believe that this email meant that there was a huge change in policy. Considering that they couldn’t even reach a residence hall desk without being buzzed in, the two assumed that any major news would be sent to them, or an RA would inform them.

According to Harris, RAs normally came and placed updated housing applications under their doors, or held floor meetings.

But the RAs didn’t know, either, according to Seibert. While at work, he ran into one of his RAs.

He was like, ‘I’m sorry, we got blindsided too.’ Seibert said. He was having difficulties with the whole thing. It wasn’t an isolated event.

This arrangement is especially bad for ROTC cadets, however-their fellowship only covers university housing. Any off-campus housing and food currently comes out of the students’ pockets.

For Harris, that means moving in with his parents. Seibert is currently searching for a place to live off-campus, with or without ROTC money.

Although the Department of Residence Life and Housing responded to attempts to contact them, none of the questions enclosed in an email were answered. The only comment that was made was a question as to the type of ROTC program the students were involved with.

Seibert encountered a similar situation. His e-mail to Residence Life and Housing, dated April 2nd, has not been returned.

We’re still waiting to hear a final decision, Harris said. I have no confirmation, and I’m getting the run-around from a lot of people. It’s very frustrating.

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