NCCU Students Head To Hotels, Awkward Living Arrangements

Instead of being unexpected good fortune, the experience has turned into a hassle.

Students are just starting to come to campus -- and checking into hotels. And there have been some wrinkles.

The source of the problem is the mold. Wednesday, WRAL got a look inside one of the affected dorms.

The dorm is a wreck. Workers tore the place apart trying to find the mold. Holes are in the ceiling. Water drips off the pipes.

The mold drove many students out of dorms and into luxury. Some students are staying in suites at the DoubleTree. The hotel has a pool and workout room.

Nevertheless, students just checking in fear the arrangements may be awkward.

"The transit buses being late, come picking us up," said student Krystal Trice. "We have to wake up an extra hour early to make it to school. Our food is not on campus, so we have to make our way back to campus just to get a meal."

Students complained they are being forced to share a bed. Some suites have one King-sized bed instead of two doubles.

The hotel is providing once-a-week housekeeping and discounted meals.

All this is costing, not the students but the school.

"Believe it or not," said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Roland Gaines, "we haven't had time to crunch the numbers."

No matter what, the numbers are not good. At least 14 buidings on campus have mold, including the two dorms that are only 4 years old. Nearly 1,000 students are staying in apartments and hotels.

N.C. Central said it is working with the hotels to iron out the problems.

Students will be staying in hotels until mid-December. By then, the school hopes the mold problem will be taken care of.