As residents returned to residence halls RH White and Regents, they were given the option of $150 in Flex and $200 in housing displacement or the equivalent of a $350 Walmart gift card as reimbursement.
RH White and Regents were without power for over a week following the recent power outage. Residents were told they would need to evacuate by 8 p.m. on Feb. 16. While the University intended to have all residents placed in temporary housing, unclear communication led some residents to book hotel rooms.
A spokesperson of the Office of Branding, Marketing and Communication said the University apologizes for any inconvenience.
The spokesperson said the University appreciates “the hard work of our housing staff throughout this process, including our resident advisors, resident directors, and our housing office.”
The dorms re-opened Sunday, Feb. 23, to students like RH White resident Emma Duggan, who said she was greeted in the lobby by three people, one of them being the Vice President of Student Affairs, Don Robertson.
“They made an announcement to the few students in the main lobby that we would be receiving $350 in Flex money (on-campus dollars) or we can choose to have $350 in a gift card for Walmart,” Duggan said.
An anonymous Regents Hall resident said they believe the reimbursement is “hush money.”
“We don’t have housing for a week in a sort of terribly-handled way, and now we’re back and the school gives us $350 in an attempt that we will keep quiet,” they said. “I do appreciate the money, of course, but Murray State has still given very little public announcement.”
After settling into her room in RH White, Duggan went back down to the lobby to speak with staff about the matter of reimbursing hotel costs. Duggan stayed at the Murray Inn for part of her displacement.
“I was cut off from speaking to her by Dr. Robertson, but he informed me that if I emailed him with my student information (such as my name, room number and M#), then they would be in contact with me soon,” she said.
Duggan said Robertson quickly emailed her back and told her to expect a check for the night she stayed at the Inn.
RH White Hall resident Joshua Lawrence said it’s not a lot, but he appreciates the effort.
“I feel like $350 is enough to cover a week for the average person who didn’t stay in a hotel,” Lawrence said.
RH White Hall resident Kyle Stone said it was “decent reparations, but the institutional side of things needs work.”
“I thought it addressed the immediate issue, though (it) didn’t fix the core issue of lack of transparency,” Stone said.
