Overflow at Albany State University housing has parents upset

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Parents are speaking out over living situations at Albany State University.

The school posted the attached photos from inside the dorms. The pictures may not look unusual, but they show part of a room meant for two students that will now house three.

Other students in single occupancy rooms will now be switched to double.

Albany State notified students this week of those changes and discounted the housing rate for students assigned to the double occupancy bedrooms, but parents said they believe it's not enough.

The parents WALB spoke to on Thursday were very upset with the new housing situation. They said they understand when a university needs to use overflow housing, but they said they wished they were notified sooner.

The dorms in the pictures attached are about to be full of students and belongings in just two weeks. But, they've also caused a stir this upcoming school year.

"They're putting two people in a one person room. Ridiculous. Can you imagine?" said Crystal Edwards, a parent of an ASU student.

Albany State University announced in a statement that they will be using overflow housing for some of their students this year. This means that some dorms that normally house two students, will house three and dorms that house one will now have two. Below is the statement released from ASU:

Albany State University recently notified students that some of them will be impacted by the potential of overflow housing for the fall 2018 semester. Overflow housing is not uncommon and is a normal part of the housing planning strategy. Based upon our past experience, we expect that after move-in, there will be vacancies in on-campus housing. We will relocate students to these vacancies within the first few weeks of the semester, giving preference to students who have been placed in overflow rooms. As of today, we have identified additional housing assignments. We took the following steps:

Each year, there are numerous unexpected vacancies in on-campus housing because of no-shows or cancellations. We are asking students who have not received a room assignment to sign up on a wait list. Once we have removed all students from overflow housing, we will shift our focus to wait-listed students.

This process will continue to evolve as we get closer to the beginning of the semester. We will update students throughout the process.

"You're overcrowding, kids are not having enough, what they feel like, personal space, things get stolen, now there are arguments and confusion being created," a concerned parent said.

According to the statement, the students in overflow housing will receive a discount on housing and the students will be moved when rooms are available because of no-shows and cancellations.

But, some parents are saying having to move twice during the school year will be a hassle.

"You can't make an environment where the students are going to be living uncomfortable," said Edwards.

Parents said their biggest concern is that they weren't notified of the housing changes earlier.

"You know, you plan and you prepare as best as you can as a parent, and then the school hits you with oh there's going to be another person in the room, you're not going to be living where you think you're going to be living," Edwards said.

School officials would not speak on camera, but they said they notified parents so close to the start of school because their registration deadline was July 1.

Albany State University starts up again on Monday, August 13.

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