(Image via umassd.edu)

Business Manager: Brendan Flaherty

Email: bflaherty1@umassd.edu

*This article is classified as an opinion piece.

This semester, the students have spoken, and a question has emerged from this year’s move-in and housing process: 

Why is moving in so stressful?

For reference, I am in my senior year, so I have moved four times now. I have witnessed the process four different times, and every time, it was slightly different from the last. I have opinions and thoughts on the move-in process and housing.

But that is not what this article is about. This article will focus on what the students think and a response from housing staff member Lydia Johnson to address these troubling thoughts and opinions.

This article is not directed at the staff working in the lines and helping students move in, as they were just doing their jobs. Instead, it is focused on the implemented process and what we can do to fix it.

Of course, there are plenty of things that one needs to consider when thinking about housing and how much it takes to move almost 3,000 students into the residential buildings on campus.

The housing process begins with students getting the chance to pick their own living space. Students have an opportunity to choose where they want to live on campus.

However, this semester, there was some frustration with the housing process.

There were plenty of reasons for students to be frustrated with their current living space, from bugs that occurred over the summer on the “StarRez” site to random room swaps and rooms that were not ready to be moved into yet due to various complications. 

After a quick survey was taken to gather the student’s opinions, about 38% of students reported that they were frustrated with the state of their room and still had problems with their room well into the start of the semester.

In response, Johnson had this to say:

“I encourage anyone with concerns to submit a work order so that the facilities team (either University or Balsam/Spruce Management) can address them promptly. If you experience any delays or lack of response, please let me know, and I will be happy to follow up on your request.”

While most students surveyed said they were all set and didn’t need anything from housing or facilities, some reported that they tried to reach out to housing and facilities multiple times and either eventually got help or are still waiting to have their room fixed.

Other reports indicated that there were plenty of alleged issues with the rooms before the semester had begun. Spots of mold, missing items, and broken fixtures in their rooms were all left to be spotted by the students at the beginning of the semester.

Regarding unfinished rooms or rooms that had problems before students moved in, Johnson says, “…teams collaborate closely to ensure that all spaces are prepared and inspected before move-in.”

So far, we have learned that housing follows a process and attempts to do its best to ensure that all the housing dorms are clean and in tip-top shape for all the students moving in.

Does this resonate with the students as well? Do they also believe that they are doing their best?

As a part of the questionnaire, there was an option to describe what housing and facilities could do better next time. Some of the most repeated answers I observed from students were better communication, renovating and keeping buildings up to par, and shorter, easier move-in experiences.

In reference to a question on the lack of communication, Johnson commented, “This year, we have increased our communication efforts…” and that they “…welcome any feedback on areas for improvement.”

While this is a positive thought, the students say otherwise. In a poll discussing satisfaction with housing staff, 28.6% of students responded with a resounding one out of five (five was the highest percentage out of the options). Only a few students answered with a score of five out of five.

Similarly, a poll was taken to determine the level of satisfaction with the facilities management, and 38.1% responded with two out of five.

With all this being said, anything that comes with moving in students can be an interesting task to uphold.

I talked to one of the facilities workers when he came in to fix my door, and it was interesting to learn from a different perspective. Facilities allegedly get thousands of requests to repair various parts of many students’ rooms all the time.

Admittedly, it makes sense that there will always be things to fix and that your needs may not precede others’ needs. The frustrations may come from the lag in agency and miscommunications between students and staff.

The results of this survey mostly captured the frustrations of the seniors and juniors, as 81% of the students who took the survey indicated that they are living in the Junior-Senior dorms. This could be a good indication that their place of living seemingly needed or still needs the most work.

Finally, while all this negativity has been mentioned, and there is seemingly a lot of hostility, what the students want is much simpler. To be treated like an adult.

The students want what anyone would want, proper communication, relevant follow-ups, and a decent space to live in.

It can be hard to ensure that almost 3,000 students have the room of their dreams, but if this cannot always be ensured, then a simple reason or follow-up to fix it would resolve many problems.

When asked if students were satisfied with their current place of residency, a majority answered with four out of five (33%). Proving that students can get to a five out of five experience, and it’s that push for improvement on all levels that we should all strive for.

Below are answers from Lydia Johnson on moving this semester.

1. How are you accommodating resident’s needs?

Housing and Residential Education boasts a dedicated team, including central office staff, community-based professionals, and over 100 student employees in roles such as office support, resident assistants, and desk attendants. This team is present in every campus community to ensure safety, build connections, and foster a supportive environment for our students. They proactively enhance the student experience and serve as a resource, coordinating with campus partners to address any questions or concerns that arise.

While the housing staff may sometimes need to refer issues to other campus departments, such as Facilities, we are here to support students throughout the process. We can assist with confirming issues, submitting work requests, or arranging temporary housing if needed.

2. Are you aware that some rooms were not fully cleaned? Evidence of black mold, stuff being left over from previous residences, and missing items have been noticed in dorms.

Our Housing and Residential Education and Facilities teams collaborate closely to ensure that all spaces are prepared and inspected before move-in, aiming to deliver the best possible experience for our residents. If any issues are identified, we promptly deploy staff to address them and continue to work diligently with these teams to resolve any reported concerns. We encourage students to submit detailed work requests to facilitate timely resolution. Residents of Balsam and Spruce Halls should use the Entrata portal, while all other residents can find the Facilities Work Request form in the “Quick Links” menu at my.umassd.edu.

3. A lot of people were having issues getting the room they wanted, what do you have to say to the students who got placed in a different room from what they expected?

Our room selection process allows students to choose specific rooms based on availability. Returning students begin this process in March/April, so by summer, availability—particularly for popular room types and locations—can be limited. Occasionally, we may need to adjust room assignments due to factors such as consolidation needs, room issues, or roommate conflicts. When changes are necessary, we strive to relocate students to a room of the same type within the same building to minimize disruption, unless a student requests a different room type or location. Room assignment details are available in the student housing portal. If a student finds their assigned space unsuitable, we encourage them to inform us of their needs so we can explore available alternatives.

4. Students believe there was a lack of communication from housing for this semester, what might have caused that miscommunication and what are you doing to fix it?

This year, we have increased our communication efforts, both from the university level and directly from our department in the final month before opening. We welcome any feedback on areas for improvement and look forward to incorporating your suggestions into next year’s communication plan.

5. The housing application seemed a bit buggy over the summer, (I experienced this and other key witnesses noticed it was incorrect as well) what happened?

We are aware of a couple of network issues this summer and acted promptly to resolve them within a day or two. If you have noticed any additional problems, I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss them further so we can address any concerns you may have.

6. Many students were frustrated with the move-in process because of the long line to get into their room and the overall waiting time to getting in, was the process different and why might this line have been caused?

With so many students moving in, lines cannot be avoided. However, I’ve been at UMassD for 11 years, and the lines this year have moved faster than in previous years. Students arriving within 15 minutes of their assigned time makes a big difference in the smoothness of the process. This helps us ensure that buildings are fully staffed and ready. Arriving too early may result in a wait if we’re not yet set up. We have identified areas for improvement and plan to refine the process and schedule for next year to enhance everyone’s experience.

7. There are elements of students rooms that have either not been fixed yet or have had problems for an extended period of time, what do you have to say to the students that are still struggling with getting their room fixed?

I encourage anyone with concerns to submit a work order so that the facilities team (either University or Balsam/Spruce Management) can address them promptly. If you experience any delays or lack of response, please let me know, and I will be happy to follow up on your request.

8. What method(s) do you use to organize the housing?

I don’t understand what you mean by this question – Can you explain further?

9. How do you determine which rooms get priority in the fixes that they require?

I will refer you to the facilities team for details on their issue-resolution processes. Typically, my understanding is that they prioritize concerns based on severity rather than room type and strive to address all issues in a timely manner.

10. Given the feedback from this move-in, in the future, how will you ensure better relations and better experiences for your students?

The feedback on move-in this year has been overwhelmingly positive. We review our processes annually to ensure continuous improvement and will incorporate any feedback from this year as we plan for next year.