UPDATE - January 17, 2019

Dear Students,

Welcome back to JCSU. The university is pleased to report the majority of the remediation in its residence halls has been completed, and we deeply appreciate the patience and support you offered while we addressed this important issue.

While some work remains to be done, independent mold remediation experts inspected every room in our residence halls and conducted a comprehensive remediation and cleaning program that included many rooms. During this process, the university also began working to address unforeseen utility and maintenance issues, and some of that work has also not yet been completed.

As a result of the remediation and repairs, the university has made temporary alternate housing assignments on campus and off campus for: 1) students whose residence halls were scheduled for remediation toward the end of the work program 2) students whose rooms are affected by the utility and repair work.

We recognize that relocation will cause inconvenience for some students and want to assure you all of the steps we are taking are in the best interest of our students, faculty and staff. JCSU will provide transportation for students relocated to off campus housing, and JCSU staff are assigned to those locations to ensure students are safe and appropriately accommodated.

To recap our remediation program: No student has been assigned to a room where mold was suspected and has not yet been remediated. Any room in which mold was suspected underwent remediation by contractors following industry-standard practices, and each room had to pass an inspection before it was cleared and accepted by the university for occupancy. Specialists also remediated other conditions that might cause future issues and followed protocols to protect and cover room contents. They worked in coordination with JCSU staff for room access.

As we have stressed, JCSU is committed to providing a safe and healthy educational environment and is doing everything it can to accommodate our students, while also repairing and upgrading our facilities.

Classes begin on Jan. 22 following the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Upon your return to campus, please check in at your normally assigned residence hall for instructions. Also, please be aware that key university departments will be open on Saturday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to assist you in completing financial clearance and other university business.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Sincerely,

President Clarence D. Armbrister

UPDATE - January 16, 2019

Dear Students,

We are excited about your arrival to campus on January 18 in preparation for classes to begin on January 22. We hope you have taken time over the past two weeks to complete your financial clearance, which will allow you to check into your residence hall, or in some cases alternate housing, and to start your classes on the first day.

As a service to our students and families, the following offices will be open on Saturday, January 19, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to assist you in completing the clearance process:

• Residence Life
• Admissions
• Student Accounts
• Financial Aid
• ID Cards (first floor of Perry Hall)

Please note that you may continue to complete your clearance process online at any time.

We look forward to seeing you on Friday.

The Academic Calendar (traditional) has also been changed for the Spring 2019 Semester. 

See updated calendar »

UPDATE – January 9, 2019

Dear JCSU students,

As we continue to work through the remediation and cleaning of our residence halls, we want to reiterate that JCSU residence halls will not reopen until January 18, 2019.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, the university will no longer consider any students for housing until January 18 unless you have a hardship or reason for returning early that is approved in advance of your arrival. If you believe you must return to JCSU before January 18 for participation in athletics, work-study or other approved program, please contact us to verify that your early return can be accommodated.  Contact Residence Life staff at Residencelife@jcsu.edu.

JCSU is committed to providing a healthy educational environment and is taking steps that are in the best interest of our students, faculty and staff. We have provided more information below and will keep you informed on our progress and our schedule. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we work through this process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why have classes at JCSU been delayed?

A. Johnson C. Smith University has delayed the start of its Spring 2019 semester to allow sufficient time for the university to complete an evaluation and remediation of suspected mold in its residence halls.

Q. When will the work be completed?

A. Most of the work is expected to be completed by January 18, when residence halls will reopen. In the event work remains to be completed, students in affected areas will be assigned to approved alternate housing on campus or off campus.

Q. When do classes begin and end?

A. Classes begin on January 22 for undergraduates, including those in the Metropolitan College online and adult degree programs. With the revised undergraduate schedule, Spring Semester 2019 will run from January 22 to May 8. Graduate students will observe a normal schedule of January 7 to May 5. Commencement exercises will still be held on May 19, 2019.

Q. If I return to campus before January 18, will alternate housing be provided?

A. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, January 8, the university will no longer consider any students for housing until January 18 unless they have a hardship or reason for returning early that is approved in advance of the students’ arrival. If you believe you must return to JCSU before January 18 for participation in athletics, work-study or other approved program, please contact us to verify that your early return can be accommodated. Contact Residence Life staff at Residencelife@jcsu.edu.

Q. What is JCSU doing in the residence halls?

A. JCSU has hired mold remediation experts to guide us through this process. The university began by evaluating every room in our residence halls, then launched an aggressive remediation and cleaning program. Any room where microbial growth was detected or suspected has or will undergo mold remediation that meets industry standards and is conducted by independent specialists. Each room has or will undergo an inspection before it is approved for habitation. Teams also are addressing any root causes or issues that could lead to issues in the future.

Q. Why is this such a time-consuming process, and which students will be temporarily relocated once school begins?

A. JCSU began working on this issue immediately after we became aware of concerns in a few rooms and used the winter break to broaden evaluation to all residence halls. The university also started an aggressive remediation and cleaning program. The availability of remediation teams is limited so crews are working their way through the residence halls in a method that will allow the most students to return to their assigned rooms when school resumes. While the university expects to have most residence halls ready, students assigned to residence halls that are scheduled for remediation toward the end of our program (such as our Mosaic Village and New Residence halls) may be relocated for a short time.

Q. Where will the temporary housing be located?

A. The first priority is to place students in approved rooms on campus, and if none are available, the university is working with several hotels located as close to campus as possible.

Q. Will transportation be provided to and from the temporary accommodations?

A. Yes. The university is providing a shuttle that runs between campus and designated hotels several times a day between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

Q. Will there be any cost for the temporary housing and transportation?

A. The university will cover pre-approved expenses for housing and transportation.

Q. How will this impact cafeteria operations?

A. The cafeteria is currently open on a brunch and dinner schedule for students who have approved reasons for returning to campus early. If students are temporarily relocated once school begins, those students displaced from rooms with kitchen facilities will have access to meals on campus at no additional cost. These students must present a valid student ID to enter the cafeteria during this period.

Q. How will this impact training for athletic teams?

A. Students who are participating in JCSU athletics in the spring are approved for early return and will be accommodated with appropriate housing.

Q. Will students in rooms that are not affected be asked to relocate?

A. No. Students will be allowed to return to rooms that have been approved beginning January 18. If work remains to be done at that time, students in affected rooms will be relocated to appropriate housing. No student will be assigned to a room where mold has been identified but not yet remediated.