Fire victims offered housing

Companies, JMU administration discuss solutions to accommodate students' needs

The 48 students who lost their homes in Saturday's fire at their Commons apartment building and many of their parents met in Grafton-Stovall Theatre Monday to learn how the administration and local companies plan to aid them.

The students gathered in hopes of finding answers and direction concerning housing, classes, books and other services that have become major obstacles in starting over.

Kevin Williams, general manager for LB&J Limited, the company that owns the Commons, South View and Stone Gate apartment complexes, spoke about two housing options. Students have the choice to either break their leases with the Commons or keep their lease. If they break their lease, they are basically on their own to find new housing, whereas if they continue to work with the Commons, they will be provided a new home in Park Apartments.

The Park Apartment complex is located off South Main Street near Pheasant Run Townhomes. It is a residential area with a bus system. Williams and the Commons have worked with the owners of Park Apartments, and there is now enough space for all 48 students to move in if they want to do so, Williams said. All the individual apartments have two bedrooms, which would require people to split with roommates, but would allow all to live in a common place.

If students keep their lease, they are promised to be able to move back into their apartment in the new 891 building as soon as it is rebuilt. Williams said he expects this will happen by April or May. Students were allowed to stay in Shoney's Inn, paid for by LB&J until yesterday. By today, they will either have to move into Park and remain there through second semester to fulfill their leases or find other housing immediately. South View and Stone Gate have given students their model apartments, accommodating eight students. The only other available rooms are singles.

NTC Communications representative Tom Bonadeo also attended the meeting to inform students of future plans. NTC is working with Park Apartments to develop Ethernet and phone connections. They are allowing students to forward all phone calls and use voice mail for free. They are in touch with Verizon to get new phone numbers quickly. If students move into Park, the free cable, telephone and Ethernet that the leases of LB&J offer will remain available free of charge. Students also will be given extensions on phone bills, Bonadeo said.

According to Bonadeo, NTC will also work to recover parts of hard drives that can be found. Hard drives are sealed, so even though only part can possibly be recovered, they are still somewhat valuable, he said. If students bring pieces to NTC or ask NTC to come pick them up, technicians will work to recover any data lost free of charge.

Bonadeo said after the meeting that he was doing everything possible to work with his company, as well as families and businesses in Harrisonburg, to find computers to donate to the students.

Douglas Brown, vice president for Academic Affairs, spoke and answered many questions of both students and parents about classes, professors and problems they have encountered. "I've talked to our professors and I want to get your input on what you need," Brown said. At this time some students got very emotional.

Many students said that they have talked to professors who have offered them incompletes, making the students responsible for all missed work. "This is not acceptable," one student said. "We've lost everything and it's not fair for me to be penalized so much for something I couldn't control."

Students spoke of lost papers, notes, projects, journals and even business plans for COB 300, a major 12-credit integrated business teamwork course. Students said they were not happy about how things were working for them academically.

"Everything's going to have to be done on an individual basis," Brown said. "The thing you have to do now is get your day-to-day life back in order."

Brown expressed his continued concerns and said he will try to do whatever he can for the homeless students.

"Every day it gets worse," another student said. "I've talked to my professors and they say ‘OK, well you have a test this Wednesday, you need to take it.' How can I deal with this? Physically and emotionally I can't handle it."

According to Towana Moore, assistant vice president for Business Services, all JAC cards have been replaced and meal vouchers were given out. She offered assistance by answering questions and getting student ID numbers.

With the numbers, she and her staff will look up student schedules, find out what books they need, and then order them and get all of them to the students through overnight shipping. All the books are free as long as they are returned at the end of the semester, she said. Some school supplies are being provided and seniors graduating in December will receive new caps and gowns for free, according to Moore.

David Mills, president of the Student Government Association, spoke to the audience with encouragement and optimism. SGA currently is in charge of a citywide donation drive. All this week, a store of donated items is set up in Taylor 299 for the students of 891 to get what they need, he said. Clothes, toiletries and food currently are available. The SGA is asking students to donate bedding (blankets, sheets, pillows, etc.) and kitchenware (pots, pans, spices, more food, etc.), according to a Wednesday press release.

The SGA is working closely with Student Affairs, other campus organizations and area businesses to do as much as possible to help, Mills said.

JMU President Linwood Rose expressed his concerns. "There are lots of people both inside and outside the university that are working hard to help you as much as possible with as little pain as possible," Rose said.

JMU issued a packet for the students to help them salvage items from the fire, know who to call with particular problems, and instruct them on available spaces in apartments all over Harrisonburg.

A major problem with housing is that it will be extremely difficult to keep all four students of an apartment together, according to Mel Maher, assistant director of the University Center and supervisor of Off-Campus Life and Taylor Down Under. "Please use us as a resource," Maher said. "We're working very hard for you and will continue to."

Brandon Durflinger, SGA vice president of Administrative Affairs, said at the meeting, "I don't pretend to know what it's like, but when I say that I'm going to be there for you, I mean that in any and every way I can. I'll schedule meetings with professors and administrators for you, I'll help you get donations, and I'll give you my home phone number for absolutely anything else. I want to be there for you and I'm here to help with anything."

Students were given checklists with clothing sizes and personal needs to fill out and return to SGA so they could have more direction in collecting needed items.

Harrisonburg resident Kaye Vaughan is helping SGA as well. "I'm just offering everything I can for these students," Vaughan said at the Monday meeting. "I'm collecting clothing, household items and whatever else I can to get their lives back to normal."

Administrators stayed after the meeting so students could talk on a more personal level with them. Williams and LB&J set up a table to discuss leases and information with students.