GREENSBORO, N.C. — College students and parents are upset with how Block 43 Apartments in Greensboro handled fall semester move-in day Saturday, citing long lines in the heat and dirty units from prior residents.
Block 43 Apartments is a private apartment complex located on Clifton Road where some students at North Carolina A&T University, UNC Greensboro, and other local campuses live.
Multiple students and parents told WFMY News 2 they were told to arrive at Block 43 at 9 a.m. Saturday to pick up their unit keys, only to wait for several hours in lines outside in the heat where temperatures reached the mid-90s.
One parent said she and her student found trash, dirt, hair, mold, and dust when they walked into the unit for the first time. They shared photos of the mess.
A spokesperson with N.C. A&T confirmed with WFMY News 2 that units were not prepared for students' arrival Saturday and that the head of housing and residence life was at Block 43 Saturday helping students affected by the situation.
“N.C. A&T is aware of apartments at Block 43 assigned to some of our students that were not move-in ready Saturday, as they should have been. A&T officials are working with the complex’s management company to ensure the issues are resolved immediately," Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations Todd Simmons said. "We will offer temporary accommodations for tonight for students whose apartments have not been properly prepared and family members who accompanied them."
The N.C. A&T spokesperson said this is the largest class the university has ever seen.
A spokesperson with UNC Greensboro told WFMY News 2 they are also assessing the situation.
A phone call to Block 43 Apartments on Saturday went to voicemail. A recording said the voicemail box was full.
Varsity Campus released the following statement:
“NC A&T Housing entrusted Varsity Campus to house some of their students at Block 43. We deeply apologize to the university, the students and their parents for the condition of some of these units as they arrived to move in on August 14, 2021. Our on-site team and vendors have continued to work into the late hours to remediate these issues and provide a clean living environment for our residents.
While preparing so many units for move-in over a two-week period is never easy, staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic presented an even bigger challenge than we had anticipated. Our priority is to make sure all units are clean and all amenities are in working order. We have called in additional vendors from Charlotte and Winston-Salem to finish cleaning any remaining units. VC staff will also go building by building to double-check all units and make sure all residents are satisfied with the condition of their unit as they start their fall semester.
We appreciate the university's assistance in helping displaced students while Varsity Campus completes a thorough cleaning. The circumstances at Block 43 do not reflect our company’s standards. We have committed to an internal review and will strengthen confidence in our management and resident services at this community.
Our mission is to manage our communities with precision, treat our clients as partners, and care for our residents' families. While we are disappointed that we did not meet expectations, we will make this right, and going forward our actions will demonstrate our commitment to our mission.”
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