Hastings Apartments Delays Leave Students on Hold

As the beginning of the semester approached, buzz about Amherst’s newest housing option — the Hastings Apartments — was matched only by one lingering question: Will students actually get to move in on time? The new apartments, introduced in an email from Housing & Operations last February, are a long-awaited addition to campus living despite the initial controversies they sparked within the town. Among the anticipated facilities were climate-controlled apartments with private bedrooms, kitchens, common spaces, and amenities such as bike storage and an elevator. However, as a result of construction delays, students in Hastings have been moved to The Residences Extended Stay for the beginning of the fall semester, located more than a 30-minute walk from campus. 

For administrators, Hastings represented more than just another housing option for students. “We are thrilled to offer students the chance to live in a location that’s both on campus and in town,” wrote Senior Associate Dean of Students Dean Gendron in an email to The Student. “We hope that students will come to view the apartments as spaces to welcome their friends, experiment in the kitchens, develop cooperative plans for cleaning and daily living, and help them prepare for the responsibilities that await them for the rest of our graduates’ lives.” 

Many students, sharing that enthusiasm, were eager to learn that they had secured a spot in Hastings for the year. “It’s pretty widely accepted that sophomore housing can be hit-or-miss, so the idea of living in brand-new apartments that were also close to town definitely made us feel like we had lucked out,” said Clara Dawn ’28.

Initially, students were scheduled to move into the apartments at the end of August, with common rooms and first-floor restrooms set to be finished a month afterward. Even in February, prior to the Housing Selection Process, the Office of Community Living (OCL) cautioned students that the project’s timeline was tentative, emailing the student body that “as with any construction project, completion dates are subject to change, and residents must demonstrate flexibility with arrival dates.” 

In an email sent on Aug. 7 to students assigned to the Hastings Apartments, Housing & Operations again warned students to “be ready in case of delay.” While the email reassured students that their date of arrival to campus would not be affected and promised “multiple plans to ensure … access to housing,” it offered no further details on what those alternatives might look like. A follow-up email from OCL on Aug. 26 — just three days before most students were scheduled to move in — highlighted a series of unfinished tasks, including permanent power installation, fire alarm testing, paving, and elevator work. While administrators described these as final steps before signing off, the lack of transparency only deepened students’ doubts regarding their move-in. 

Administrators emphasized that delays of this nature are not unusual. “Complex projects of this type and scale involve multiple stakeholders, including many different contractors, the Town of Amherst, the electrical power provider, the internet provider, and safety systems, as well as authorities who must approve the work, each with their own priorities and timelines,” Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Mike Thomas wrote in an email to The Student on Aug. 26.

Individuals assigned to Hastings who had permission for early arrival were temporarily relocated to Hitchcock Residence Hall. “Students received an email . . . prior to their arrival . . . about the delayed access and the plan for temporary housing in Hitchcock,” Gendron said. He continued to emphasize that they “have been monitoring — and continue to monitor — the situation, literally, all day and every day.”

In his Aug. 26 email to The Student, Gendron acknowledged that the college could not ensure that students could move into the apartments before classes began. “Due to the nature of the work remaining and the reliance on companies over which we do not have direct control, there is always a risk that additional delays could occur,” he said. “We are optimistic, however, that if that happened, there would be relatively minor disruption for these students. We are also very excited about the move into a new living environment.”

On Aug. 28, OCL sent an email announcing that the Hastings Apartments would not be ready for students to move in before the start of classes. The email notified them that they would be temporarily housed at The Residences Extended Stay in Hadley. They were told to “pack enough clothing for a one-week stay, [including their] essential electronics, toiletries, and personal care items” and that shuttles would be transporting students back and forth between campus from 6 to 1 a.m. daily. Residents of Hitchcock also felt the effects of the Hastings delays, as the common rooms in their buildings were repurposed for storage. “I showed up to move, and the common rooms were locked — we had no idea why,” said Lily Earnest ’28, who was assigned to live in Hitchcock for the year.

Many students expressed mixed emotions about their current living situation. “I do think a sense of solidarity has formed among the residents, but it really is not that bad. The B.O. smell was mostly gone after some airing out. [If this were more permanent], I would be quite upset.” Sebastian Paredes ’26 said.

As the Hastings Apartments remain unfinished, excitement and uncertainty continue to run side by side. The setbacks that have complicated its completion reveal the complexity of large-scale construction and the difficulty of adapting campus spaces to evolving student needs. Still, the apartments mark Amherst’s most ambitious step yet toward modernizing residential life, setting a precedent for what housing could look like in the years to come.