Students living in the University of Tennessee's Laurel Hall dormitory have been assigned to off-campus properties and have started to move out after learning the dorm will close for the rest of the year.
University Housing began assigning students to off-campus properties last week. Approximately 70 students were waiting for an assignment as of Oct. 18.
Once contracts with all the off-campus properties are finalized, University Housing said it will contact the remaining unassigned students and provide check-out and moving instructions.
The university said the timeline to check out of Laurel Hall hasn't been decided because they're still negotiating contracts with off-campus properties.
Some students opted out of their contracts but the ones who decided to stay are moving to apartments including The Knox, Society865, 303 Flats, and the Woodlands.
Since students will now be living farther from camus, University Housing said Parking and Transit Services is working directly with Laurel Hall residents to address questions regarding current parking permits. Many are choosing to keep their residential permit and will just drive to Laurel Hall, park their car there, then walk to class. But those who want to switch are being accommodated.
Also, the university said any properties across the river either have bus transportation or are directly along the KAT bus line.
University Housing said they're also offering free moving assistance through a professional moving company for opt-in residents. Moving supplies, including boxes, packing tape, labels, packing wrap, and cleaning wipes, are available at the Laurel Hall front desk.
The Office of the Provost and the Academic Affairs unit along with the Dean of Students office are also involved in this process and have been reaching out to students from Laurel Hall.
They have told students that the offices have reached out to their instructors and academic advisors to explain that moving out of Laurel Hall will temporarily interrupt the student’s day-to-day routine. They gave the students a list of many academic resources on campus that can help them during this time and provided information to the 974-HELP referral line if in need of additional support. The Academic Affairs and the Office of the Dean of Students set up tabling at Laurel Hall to talk with students in person and provide support.
The mold testing has been done and it was sent off for analysis, according to University Housing. Once the results are ready, they said they wil release them to the public.
Several halls were tested in September but South Carrick Hall was the only other one where mold was detected, according to the university.
The university said tests were conducted after an increase in mold or humidity-related maintenance requests.
The cleanup process there is still happening, University Housing said. It will go until at least the last week of October. They started on Oct. 1 and expected it go about 24 days.
"In the course of our follow-up to these requests, our maintenance staff found instances of mold or suspected mold in a number of South Carrick Hall student rooms," according to a note sent to students Thursday.