JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Jackson State University (JSU) is facing another housing shortage for the Fall 2022 semester as students from across the nation begins to make way to the campus.
This is the time where many students are prepping to return to campus, buying supplies and decorations for their dorm. However, many Jackson State students are unsure where they will call their home away from home as the university faces a housing shortage.
Heaven Lomontey and her mom Kailah Glover flew all the way from Palm Springs, California, for Heaven to start dance camp. But with only temporary accommodations and not knowing anyone in the area, they are unsure where she will stay for the rest of the semester.
Jaylyn Clarke, an incoming freshman from Louisiana, said she settled to enroll in online classes for the fall due to the housing shortage, noting this was not the experience she planned for.
“I am bummed about the whole situation, but like I said, everything happens for a reason. So I’m trying, you know, didn’t let it get to my head too much, because I do want to experience that college life,” said Clarke.
Glover added that Jackson State does provide recommendations for off campus housing, but with so many people looking into the same alternative options, it creates a cycle.
“In terms of housing, if you have not received a housing assignment at this point, we asked you to continue to be patient with us. We are doing our very best to try to pull students off the wait list as we receive cancelations. We have a very large waitlist, and it is highly likely that we are not going to be able to get to every student that is on that waitlist,” stated JSU Vice President of Student Affairs Fran’cee Brown McCoy.
Jaylyn’s mom said she even reached out to developers to suggest investing and renovating the empty properties around campus to create student housing to address the ongoing issue.
Both families said they are hopeful student housing will become available for the upcoming semester, and if not, they will apply again in November for housing for the spring 2023 semester.