Housing Crunch Forces Some FSU Students To Check Into Hotel

Another year of growing pains has forced Fayetteville State to house 89 female upperclassmen at the Best Western Hotel on Bragg Boulevard.

The hotel is 10 minutes away from campus life, which has its advantages and disadvantages.

Each room has full size beds, a kitchenette, a bathroom and a balcony.

For senior Tandenika Carrit, what goes on outside of the rooms is more important.

"My mother's main concern was also the security, because she didn't want her child to be alone on Bragg Boulevard by herself," she says.

Students who live at the hotel must obey a curfew and visiting hour rules just as they would at an FSU dorm.

"We just hope and plan to make sure as best we can that these students are as well protected up there as they are [on campus]," says Olivia Chavis, vice chancellor of student affairs.

Although the women are isolated to four floors of the hotel, the university admits it cannot be responsible for the activity of other hotel guests.

"We've isolated the students on certain floors and each floor has an adult supervisor that makes it easier for us to control," says hotel representative Mark Williams.

Plans are in the works for two additional housing facilities on campus: A new residence hall will break ground in 2002, and additional space will be made available at the University Apartments Complex.