TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – When Marie Ducarme and 45 others showed up to move into the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University dorm on Tuesday, they found the building infested with mold.
“I was kind of embarrassed in a way because my dad just kept talking bad about it. He said, ‘We got so many beautiful universities in Miami. Why didn't you go there?’ But I actually wanted to come here,” Ducarme, and incoming freshman said.
Recommended Videos
The students were sent to motels at FAMU's expense. Others went home or have been staying with friends. The university worked feverishly to cure the mold problem.
“The first thing is, I apologized to them personally, let them know that this wasn't FAMU's best day,” FAMU president Dr. Larry Robinson said.
The dorm hasn't been occupied in at least two years. It was brought back online when more freshmen registered than expected. The university set a goal of getting the dorms ready by Friday at noon.
Classes are scheduled to start Monday.
“There are no excuses for not being ready,” Robinson said. “I do think that this is an older facility of course, but we knew that going into this and so what we have done is said, ‘What can we do now to ensure that we don't encounter these kinds of problems in the future?’”
The university said they hope to replace the 45-year-old dorms with new facilities as a long-term solution.