Hastings Residents Settle, Recall Difficult Move-In

As students settled into the brand-new Hastings Apartments on Thursday, many couldn’t forget the weeks they had to spend at The Residences Extended Stay — a rebranded Howard Johnson hotel over a mile away from campus.

Oscar Gosling ’27, one of the displaced upperclassmen, said that on his move-in day earlier in August, future Hastings residents were told to pack for just six days. But having arrived on campus early to be an Orientation Leader, he ended up staying at The Residences for three weeks.

Marie Lalor, director of Housing & Operations, explained in an email to The Student on Sunday that the delay was caused by final approvals for critical systems — including the elevator, permanent power, and fire safety — that were outside the control of both the builder and the college.

While contingency plans were developed by the administration, and students received periodic updates on the status of their apartments via email, many felt the communication lacked a clear timeline, making it difficult to plan or feel settled at the start of the semester.

The delayed opening of the housing complex required the college to secure temporary accommodations for the 59 students living there. Interviews conducted with several residents one day prior to the delayed Thursday move-in revealed the toll it took.

Santi Benbow ’27 said that he called Housing & Operations ahead of his Aug. 29 move-in date to verify that the apartments would be ready. Despite the administration’s assurance that the apartments would be ready, Benbow said he received an email on Aug. 28 informing them that construction was still ongoing. Having recently lost his home to a tornado, he said he felt frustrated by the timing and tone of the message. 

“It wasn’t even clear we were staying in a hotel immediately, because they sugarcoated the whole thing,” he said. Having been told his apartment would be ready in two days, it was staggering to be in limbo for two more weeks.

Jacob Shine ’27 added that Housing & Operations “told us in the very last sentence of an email that we were going to be living in The Residences at 401 Russell Street. That’s all they said.” 

Upon receiving this information, Shine went to the construction site to inquire about the expected move-in timeframe. The construction workers on-site told him that the apartments would not be ready until mid-September, while the school told students that it would be a few more days.

As DJ Beason ’27 put it, residents were “[being] told information that’s coming out to be not true the next day.” 

Beyond the issue of communication between students and administrators, students living in The Residences at the beginning of the semester reported experiencing many issues during their stay.

They noted a strong odor in the hallways, extremely high shower water pressure, poor ventilation, and resulting illness. “All my roommates are sick because of the musty air,” Shine said. “The air conditioners don’t take the moisture out of the air, so if there’s anything wet, it doesn’t dry.”

Gosling shared that when reaching behind his bed to use the only electrical outlet in the room, his hand was cut open by exposed metal. “I was bleeding all down [my arm].” 

Students also spoke on the inconsistency of the shuttles that transported students to and from The Residences and campus, but frequent delays forced them to walk back to the hotel on Route 9, particularly at night. “Our first week, if we went out on a Saturday night, [we] didn’t know when the shuttle was [coming],” Shine said, adding that he walked 35 minutes back to their temporary housing instead.

Additionally, the hotel key cards that students used to unlock their doors were single-use. Beason said that he had to go to the front desk each time he wanted to access his room, but staff did not verify whether he was actually assigned to that room — meaning anyone could potentially gain access to any room by requesting a new key.

When asked about the selection of The Residences as temporary housing for Hastings residents and whether there is a business relationship between The Roberts Group — the construction company that worked on the Hastings Apartments this summer — and the Hadley Howard Johnson, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer Mike Thomas stated in an email to The Student: “We are not able to speak to that business relationship, but the Roberts Group was instrumental in securing blocks of space to accommodate our students.”

Lalor stated that the Office of Community Living took several steps in response to student feedback about conditions at The Residences. These included increasing shuttle frequency, allowing students with vehicles to park in faculty and staff lots, providing a call-for-ride service through the college safety team, and offering food, snacks, and beverages in the lobby of The Residences. 

DoorDash gift cards were also distributed; however, students reported that the amount was only $50 and expressed that the overall support fell short of their needs. 

Nevertheless, there is still excitement over the new housing complex. “Despite the tumultuous process, I am grateful to be finally moved into the new apartments ⸺which are quite nice, might I add ⸺ and happy to finally have a space I can call home,” said Benbow. 

Clara Dawn ’28, who opted to stay in a friend’s on-campus suite during the two weeks before move-in, agrees that the college should have been more direct in communicating that the construction would be delayed by two weeks from the start. However, she shared that the apartments were “worth the wait.”