Inside the Recurring Housing Squeeze
Students describe weeks of unanswered questions, strained academic focus, and transportation hurdles as the University's waitlist leaves them guessing
As the first day of classes approached, psychology major Tiana Grace still didn't know where she would live.
The Clark Atlanta University junior had been placed on the housing waitlist for Yugo Atlanta Summerhill, an off-campus apartment, but as move-in approached, she was still waiting on an update from the Office of Residence Life and Student Development.
With nowhere to stay, Grace began moving between hotels and eventually an Airbnb to prepare for the semester.
“It’s coming up to the first day of classes, so now it's crunch time, and I still have nowhere to stay,” Grace said. “What am I gonna do? And I still have to go to school.”
Grace said she repeatedly contacted Residence Life and even visited the office in person to see when or if she would receive housing.
“Basically what I got from every conversation was they can’t really do anything because I’m a junior.”
For Grace, the housing problem extended beyond finding a room. Staying in temporary housing created additional transportation challenges while she tried to attend classes.
“The hardship I’m facing is just the whole transportation thing,” she said.
Grace's experience highlights a larger challenge for CAU students navigating campus housing: Being placed on a waitlist does not necessarily mean knowing when housing will become available. For upperclassmen, that uncertainty can leave students searching for alternatives both on and off campus.
Grace is not the only Clark Atlanta University student who has faced uncertainty surrounding campus housing.
Junior political science major Alicía Reid experienced a similar uncertainty during her sophomore year.
“After receiving housing my freshman year, sophomore year they told me I wouldn’t receive housing due to there not being space for everyone.”
Clark Atlanta University requires students with fewer than 58 earned credit hours, generally freshmen and sophomores, to live on campus when housing is available.
However, the university's housing policy also states that this requirement does not guarantee students a space in campus housing, “Because on-campus student housing for new students is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.”
For students who are unable to secure campus housing, the uncertainty can extend beyond finding a room. They may also have to consider off-campus housing, transportation, and the financial costs associated with finding a temporary place to stay—all while trying to stay focused on school and not knowing where they will eventually live.
Grace believes being an upperclassman should not mean being left to navigate housing problems alone.
“I don't have a title, I’m no Mister or Misses, and I don’t play a sport,” Grace said. “I just gotta figure this out.”
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