ATLANTA — After days of 11Alive pressing for answers, Clark Atlanta University responded to parents' claims that their children were left with a place to live this semester.
When the semester started for Clark Atlanta, several parents contacted 11Alive, upset when they arrived at the university and found out their children didn’t have dorm rooms despite paying deposits months in advance.
Clark Atlanta responded a few days later, stating their students are a top priority. In a statement, a spokesperson wrote:
"Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is experiencing a successful move-in operation during the fall semester of the 2022 - 2023 academic school year. Many parents and students have expressed how pleased they are with the staff and how the university has successfully accommodated more than 2,000 students.
However, the university had approximately 225 students who received housing assignments during our process, but because they were not financially enrolled by the August 1, 2022, deadline, students were purged from the university’s registration system. This action resulted in the loss of their on-campus housing assignments."
But for parents Jamel Dennis and Rosland Hawkins, this is their second year having issues getting housing at Clark Atlanta and they balk at the schools’ reasoning.
"We actually have all our stuff and we're ready to move in. I wouldn’t have packed up a whole house for my daughter if I knew that was outstanding," Dennis said. His daughter, a freshman did finally receive a room.
But Hawkins' daughter returned to Ohio and is unsure of how she will attend classes.
“She has been and is financially enrolled," Hawkins said. "You guys know that this is an issue with your student body not having access to housing.”
Joanna Washington’s granddaughter relies on Sallie Mae loans. In 2021, she received a room with no problem. Washington can’t understand why her granddaughter was purged this year because they followed the same procedures.
"A lot of times your loan... doesn't come through up until you get ready, right up until you get ready to start school," Washington said. "Her loan is in good standing."
The families also wonder why it took days before the university started to let them know.
“'Til this day, we have not heard anything back from them with regard to her room,” Washington said.
For all three of these families, the housing issues meant a delay in classes and being forced to miss an entire semester.
“She has one online class, that means she’s dropping all the way down to a part-time student to take the one class that she has, and it’s unfair," Hawkins said.
“Not all the classes are online," Washington explained. "So, she wasn't able to do our classes online. She would miss school, and we're paying for her classes that she's not able to attend.”
Clark Atlanta officials said they’re working on the university waitlist to get students housing. But for Dennis, he believes this will be his daughter's final stay.
“This is so long way to go to your senior year, have to go through this. I think within the next semester, so she will transfer,” he said.
Clark Atlanta also said they’re working diligently to get options for students who decide to move off-campus.
"That information can be found via CAU’s website at www.cau.edu. Again, our primary focus is the well-being and success of our scholars within the higher education space here at Clark Atlanta University," their statement reads.
The families 11Alive spoke with said rent prices are way too high for their children – coupled with the costs of college.