Homeless in Houghton:Does Housing put students or money first?

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Homeless in Houghton:Does Housing put students or money first?

Posted on 24 September 2009
Tags: Dean of Students, Houghton, information, Lode, Michigan Tech, Residential Life, students, Wadsworth Hall

“Michigan Tech Housing is committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable housing environment that values friendship and academic success in our residence halls and apartments.” The Michigan Tech University’s housing department clearly depicts in its mission statement the dedication and time taken to care for the students involved in the residential life of Michigan Tech. But if friendship is such a value of the Housing Department, assuming other values are taken into consideration as well, why then is the contract release process so grueling, unnecessary, and rigged to feed off of our money?
I applied for housing in Wadsworth Hall thinking I had everything settled financially. When my parents refused to extend the Parent Plus Loan and co-sign for a loan for me, I realized I had hit a dead-end. There was no other way to turn except back, seeing there was no way I could afford it. I walked into the Housing office to inquire about the process I needed to follow in order to be released from my housing contract. Upon voicing my questions, I was rudely answered by a member of housing administration, instructing me to fill out the application and write an appeal letter, and stated that “you don’t always get approved to be released from your contract” in an almost taunting tone. I tried to explain, briefly, my financial situation and he continued to tell me it did not matter. I kind of left the office in jitters wondering what I had done wrong to be talked to like some delinquent who had knowingly planted some twisted housing scheme. Friendly? I think not.
I proceeded to write the letter, as instructed, in my most professional and grammatically-correct form. I clearly stated my situation and went to the Financial Aid office to discuss documentation to be paired with my letter as proof of my situation. I was told that Housing would send away for my financial information and that it was not needed to include it with the letter, so I obeyed. Thinking it was not a huge issue, I went on with school as usual, certain there was no way they could deny my letter since there was no way to pay for it.
On September 16th, I received an email while I was away in Green Bay exclaiming that my letter had been denied. My family and I were outraged. Firstly, when applying for a room and signing the contract, the Housing staff fails to go over contract release protocol before finally handing over a room key and assignment. Why do they “forget” to do this? Because if mentioned, they may cause students to hesitate in their decision, which would in turn not allow the school to receive money for housing from that student? Thus, a hesitating student is money lost.
In the email, it was not even explained as to why I was denied, rather, it was just an email informing me of my denial. Extra time is not taken to be fully helpful to the students and this email is just only a bit of the evidence. So, I had to request information before they told me. I am offered a certain amount of aid for the entire school year and the amount requested for fall semester fell under that amount, although after paying for fall semester, there would not be enough aid left over for spring semester, thus I could not afford it. But Housing did not feel the need to investigate. As informed by a close employee of Housing, residential staff of Michigan Tech automatically deny anyone who has $0 in unmet need. Even with my financial aid information, they still denied me, upholding this claim that they do not even care to glance at this fact. They did not give any respect whatsoever to my situation. In their words, they were merely “following procedure.”
So I had an employee of Financial Aid call the Director of Housing and explain to him my situation. Apparently, a phone call was not enough, for I was then told to send in documentation of my situation in writing. Throughout this process, I could not understand why it was so hard for Michigan Tech Housing to see that I just could not afford to live in the dorms. You want to know why the process was drawn out? Why Housing felt this need to fight me in my financial situation, in this dying economy, till the bitter end? Money. They wanted my money. They had my money and were not going to let go easily. I owed a large amount of money to Michigan Tech because of this room and if denied again, I would not be able to pay the money, as explained several times, and would most likely get kicked out of school. My father, almost angrier than me at the asinine process being carried out, got in touch with members of Housing and the Dean of Students to inquire about the process and my present predicament.
During a meeting with an employee of the Residential Department, I was asked, “So, what did you learn from this experience?” I felt like I was some snotty teenager being lectured after doing something naughty.
“I learned to not make hasty decisions,” I said.
“And to not get parents involved,” he added. I did not think this comment was appropriate. I was strongly recommended to “not tell my parents about such situations as this” and that “there are certain things you should not tell your parents.” I could not believe I was being told this by a Housing employee of Michigan Tech. He then followed with, “Did you know your father actually got the Dean involved…?” Of course I knew. I went on to explain my father was a passionate parent and saw his daughter stressed, frustrated and agonizing over this insignificant problem and he decided to do something about it. No father wants to see his daughter suffer. I supported everything he said and did. He cares about Michigan Tech, being an alumni and all, and hated seeing this process being so wrongly handled involving his own daughter. I was later told, “The adult thing to do would’ve been to come to me first.” It was such comments as these that made me realize I was not being treated like an adult to begin with. I felt like I was, again, being lectured like some teeny-bopper.
What I want to know is why is it so hard to get out of a housing contract when I clearly can’t afford it? And why is the Housing department being so careless? If they automatically deny every student who supposedly has zero unmet needs in finances, then how many were in my situation before? Is the Housing department really “committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable housing environment that values friendship and academic success?” If so, then why am I treated as if I am just another senseless college student and why does it not seem to be a matter that I may lose my education because of some silly misunderstanding? Though I was finally released from my contract, there was nothing in writing to solidify the decision. You would think after this grueling process that there would be some form of final agreement in writing since they drilled me for documentation in writing that proved I could not afford housing. From my understanding, we are all only dollar signs to Housing.

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This post was written by:

Kayla Herrera - who has written 31 posts on The Lode at Michigan Tech.

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16 Responses to “Homeless in Houghton:Does Housing put students or money first?”

Amanda Kristina says:

September 24, 2009 at 11:30 am

I experienced a lot of those things. people thing that students are idiots. I don’t know they treat us as if we are not welcomed. I was calling somebody who had appartements and when he aked me what I am doing I said I am a student. And he was starting to be unsure and said that he will have to see if he stilll has something free for me….

I ended up in the brownsville section of brooklyn which is a dangerous spot. I am still here but will move to Jersey soon
Kate says:

September 24, 2009 at 3:48 pm

A similar thing happened to me at Tech – I unexpectedly lost a scholarship that I had been expecting and without that money I could not afford both school and my room in the dorms. I followed all their procedures professionally and jumped through so many hoops (including being told I’d have to speak to someone, scheduling appointments to meet, only to have them say they weren’t the person I needed to talk to).

The fact was simply that MTU told me I’d have a certain amount of money for school, then later told me I’d have a lesser amount. There was no way that I could now afford what they had originally said I could.

Progress was *only* made when I got my parents involved. Then, like you, the run-arounds changed to lecturing me like a little kid. But things actually got done with my parents involvement, and I didn’t have to drop out of school. But my classes certainly suffered during the extended period of time when I was dealing with this issue.

I should also add that the people in the financial aid office were incredibly helpful and patient through the whole process.
Kayla H. says:

September 24, 2009 at 10:59 pm

Thanks for your comment! It is just horrible how students are treated sometimes. Hopefully my article and other articles like it can help to promote change so that instances like this can be avoided in the future.
Cheeseheader says:

September 25, 2009 at 6:00 am

I had a very similar expereince at MTU and decided to leave out of frustration. Hopefully by standing up to the bureaucracy you can impart some change in the housing office’s processes that are better geared towards “supporting” students rather than driving them away. The director guy at Wads was very pious in his atttitude and treated me like I was a little kid. No respect for me at all as a customer! Keep on writing the truth, it will set us all free!
Cody says:

September 25, 2009 at 10:17 am

This title is very misleading. It makes it seem like you became homeless because you couldn’t get out of a contract. And maybe do some investigating to WHY it takes a lot effort to be let out of a housing contract, instead of telling us what happened to you like we are reading your diary entry. Especially when dealing with something like this, maybe the other side has some legal issues to work through, or it is actually a big deal to go through being let out of a CONTRACT. Which, you shouldn’t ever want to break anyway.
Michael says:

September 26, 2009 at 7:58 pm

I love the title. Did you really read the article Cody? Housing treated her like crap. The director seems like a real idiot.
Cody says:

September 27, 2009 at 11:24 am

I did read the article Michael. I thought it was a pile. She could have still done some investigating and found out reasons why it takes a long process TO BREAK A CONTRACT! Key words there: BREAKING A CONTRACT. If you get a loan from a bank you have to sign a contract saying you’ll pay it back with interest. If you break that contract, there are punishments. It doesn’t matter if in your words the director is “a real idiot” it is no basis for a title that makes it seem like Housing threw her out on the street and took her money. She obviously has someplace to live seeing she is still at school. I am not saying I hated the article, merely stating it belongs on a personal blog, not in a so called ‘newspaper.’ The Lode is merely a collection of opinions and ‘light news’ that barely keeps students up-to-date on what is happening on campus, the local community and the world. It will probably be one of the saddest years for the paper this year, if this article is an indication, because the author is the new Editor-in-Chief and she seems intent on just making the Michgan Tech Lode her own personal diary.
Kayla H. says:

September 27, 2009 at 3:40 pm

I did do research, but unfortunately the answers were not received in time for the publishing of the article so I am planning on writing a follow-up news brief (yes, that means no opinion). And thank you, I am aware of what it means to break a contract, but does the mistreatment I received from housing get to go unnoticed merely because I got myself into a situation? Why couldn’t I have been treated like an adult? Yes, adults make mistakes, too. The punishments derived from this experience should not have been to be treated horribly by so-called authority figures of Michigan Tech. And actually, I thought of the title because I will be homeless Spring semester if I do not find a place to live and then I thought of Sleepless in Seattle and it just had a good ring. As for stating my opinion, I mean, it is the opinion section of the newspaper…I am entitled to give my opinion in the Opinion section of the paper…as is everyone else in that section.

Also, quite the contrary, we are having one of the best years we have had in awhile. The fact that you make the personal attack against me is disturbing. I care deeply for the Lode and its progress and just because I am the Editor-in-Chief does not mean the paper is going to fail. It is a crude judgement to make and next time I advise you to choose your words wisely. I only write for the Pulse and Opinion the most and sometimes the News here and there. I am in love with writing, unlike the majority of the rest of campus, and it is my life. The Lode is my connection to my career and the rest of my life. It is more important to me than anything else. If writing a news article, I certainly do not let my bias slip into the story. I have an opinion about something that happened to me on campus, I am going to write about it. It is what I do. Read earlier articles by me in Opinion (though I doubt you will) and you can see I just don’t “journal” my life in the Lode. It is more than a journal entry. I take my life experiences and turn them into a lesson, a quote, a message to the readers. So next time you bash someone unknowingly, just try to put yourself in their shoes, just for a second. I plan on making this the best year for the Lode yet and comments like this are not going to stop me.
Mike says:

September 28, 2009 at 5:59 pm

You plan on writing for a living someday? Wow, good luck with that…

Besides that, I don’t feel sorry for you. You signed the contract. You don’t expect them to read it for you before you sign it, do you? If Housing is expecting you to fill a spot, and you occupy it, they can’t fill it with incoming students. Then you want out? So because of your inability to read and understand what you were signing they lose money?

Congrats on getting out. I hope you have more time to work on your writing now so you can afford a home in the future.
Julie says:

September 29, 2009 at 8:21 am

Did Cody or Mike even read the article? When Kayla found out she couldn’t afford to pay for dorm housing on her own, she exercised her right to be released. Yes, financial difficulty is a qualified reason to back out. Why did the director at housing deny it automactically, sticking her with a bill of $4000. It’s not her fault the director is an idiot, making her run circles and treating her like crap. Thank goodness we have people like Kayla on campus, one who is willing to put herself out there and speak up. I hope she makes some more noise. Too bad for those students who chose to stick their heads in the sand and accept the status quo. Wait till you get out in the real world. There are those who lead and those who will always follow. Pity the followers. By the way, Kayla is an eloquent writer–a pleasure to read, unlike many engineering students I know.
Liz says:

September 29, 2009 at 9:32 am

Real mature Mike….
MTU Mom: Karen says:

September 30, 2009 at 2:32 pm

Bravo Kayla! And Bravo to your wise and supportive parents as well! While we are only hearing one side of the story, it appears that you acted responsibly upon hearing that you were faced with a change in your financial situation by notifying Housing asap. It is unfortunate that you were faced with so many hurdles. Such is life! I too have witnessed a bit of a “run-around” when problems arise in Housing. It must be challenging to manage so many students with the numbers ever increasing, evidenced by the construction of additional housing and students assigned to “overflow dorms” at the Best Western. As a parent looking at the situation from afar, it is my opinion that there has developed a need to review the management structure to better accommodate the current number of students. When our students have dealt with the Housing office with issues, they to have received incorrect information or what appears to be a standard negative response. Perhaps more employees are needed or employee training should be improved, probably BOTH! I agree that students should be able to deal with issues and solve problems without getting parents involved, but those employed by MTU must also treat students in a way that makes this possible. Your article was very interesting and has served to inform MTU of problems within their Housing management team, as well as to inform other students that they are not the only ones who are met with hurdles they must overcome while maintaining their studies. Life is full of many challenges and one must develop fine juggling skills as well as relentless tenacity dealing with authority figures. Thank you for reminding us all that those who succeed are the ones who fight for what they believe in, and you obviously were in the right as you ultimately were granted the release you requested. Good luck with your education! May your article serve to remind us all to treat one another with respect and kindness even when we are at odds.
Colleen (another MTU mom) says:

September 30, 2009 at 8:28 pm

I am curious as to why you were granted immediate housing at WADS when there are others still housed at the “overflow” dorms in Houghton. Why are there living students at Best Western if rooms still exist at WADS? I would be curious to know how many rooms are available at all of the on-campus dorms (WADS, DHH, McNair). Are they just filling rooms at Best Western to fulfill some kind of obligation to the hotel? Are they required to have a certain number of rooms filled at the hotel to solidify the deal? Interesting….sounds like a future story.
William says:

October 1, 2009 at 11:35 pm

@ Colleen

I’ve never looked into this so I’m not 100% sure. But the best western deal is supposedly incoming freshmen only. Kayla is a second year currently so she would get her pick at housing anywhere on campus based off of credit count.

@ The rest of you

Scheduling for new dorms is incredibly early. Something like the first of march usually. I know no one that has their loans worked out by then. I did mine 3 weeks before the bill was due and everyone else I know does them over the summer too. Even if you had the money the last year in time with the economy roller coastering around stuff can change in an instant. If I were to be in the dorms now i would be broke for the same reason she was in trouble. just because the school thinks that your family is going to provide you with x amount of money doesn’t mean that they will. How they find the need calculation numbers that Housing and the FinAid department base their stuff off is beyond me. The school says in my case enrollment is going to be 23000 for the year and my parents will magically give me 25000 dollars which is 1/3 of their yearly income. it doesn’t happen. For my parents to cover that every year they would lose everything they have.
Matt says:

October 22, 2009 at 10:33 am

Housing is often given the tough job of dealing with students requesting to drop contracts often. It is unfortunate that there were a bunch of hoops to jump through, but they often have to deal with many students that don’t truthfully have good reasons. However, even with the hoops, as you found the good reasons will be affirmed.

I would touch on the bit about telling you not to tell your parents, though. I had a similar experience when construction started on Wadsworth Hall Fall 2003. My “house” was one that was scheduled to be moved, and when we had questions no one would answer. At the time Curt Tompkins was president of the university, so, as he offered in his “welcome to Tech” speech during O-Week, I sent him an email on behalf of the scheduled-to-be-displaced students. As for you, very quickly I had an interview with the Wads Housing director. He too scolded me for, essentially, taking the issue above his head.

In the end, whomever it was you’d talked to got tore a new one because the person above them, who doesn’t ever have to deal with these issues, got wind and took an interest. And sometimes, that’s what you’ve got to do.

Thanks for writing about this, and more so for promising facts for a follow-up. The more quotes you can get, the better.
Laura says:

February 3, 2010 at 3:07 pm

Hi Kayla,
You make a valid point with your article. While the situation never occurred to me during my time at Tech, I had friends who went through this situation with Housing. I know Housing’s operations don’t take more than necessary from the student, but their release does. They do need to have policies in place, but they also need to be understanding of situations like yours. I think it’s horrible what happened to you.
As far as writing goes for you. Don’t believe what Mike says. I think the diary layout gave ethos to your piece. This problem has affected other college students and still is, so it’s not just about you. It’s very relevant. I have written publications for cities, organizations, the Lode when I was at Tech, a local hometown newspaper, and even the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Keep writing. You’re doing just fine! Best of luck!