Delay in opening FAMU Village’s sixth floor causes headaches for students

This week, hundreds of Rattler families arrived on campus for move-in day at the university’s newest housing facility, FAMU Village. But the students who were slated to move into the complex’s top floor will have to wait more than a week before they can get settled in their new home-away-from-home.

The sixth floor of FAMU Village remains offline due to what the Division of Student Affairs describes as construction-related delays. Officials expect it to be ready to open on September 2.

“The university whole-heartedly apologizes for any inconvenience caused to its students and parents as a result of the delay,” Vice-President for Student Affairs William Hudson said in a statement on the university’s website. “As Vice President of Student Affairs, I want to assure those who have been impacted that all moving expenses will be covered.”

The women who had received housing assignments on FAMU Village’s sixth floor will temporarily reside in McGuinn Hall. The men will have temporary housing in Gibbs Hall, Sampson Hall, and the Palmetto North Apartments.

FAMU will provide professional moving services to take those students’ belongings from the temporary locations to the sixth floor of FAMU Village on the September 2. The university will also reimburse the students’ rental fees at a rate of $28.75 per day.

FAMU Village sits on the site of the former Polkinghorne Village on Gamble Street, which was built in 1967 and housed 146 individuals. The new six-story 244,722-square-foot FAMU Village has a capacity of 800.