Students affected by the East Residence Hall closure held a protest the evening of Feb. 16 to demand compensation for out-of-pocket spending during the closure.
The protest was primarily organized by students Mabel Chesnes and Jackson Jezewski through an Instagram group chat. A group of close to twenty students — some displaced and some not — gathered in the Campus Center for a sit-in from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
According to student activist and protester Katerina Vatkin, the protesters demanded that the housing bill for the month of February be refunded or covered by UMass Boston, and that students would receive compensation or reimbursements for damaged items, hotel expenses and other essentials they had to pay for after the pipe burst in the East Residence Hall.
Protesters also asked that the school revisit its protocols on emergency situations and communication with students and issue an apology or explanation for the malfunction. She spoke with Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Michael Metzger at the protest, who she stated has been the one giving students most of the updates. Metzger, along with other staff, donated water to Vatkin, who has organized supply distribution for students in need.
“I have been doing supply runs throughout Double Tree,” she stated. “[Metzger], the dining team and UMass generously donated me 10 cases of water to spread out, which honestly is a lot of pressure to apply on someone. However, given the circumstances, my main priority is that people could have water, as the hotel charges $3 for a bottle.”
Vatkin has further meetings scheduled with administration and student organizations about the issues affecting the residents displaced from the East building. She has spent the past two weeks collecting and giving out essentials like clothing, hygiene items and water for the affected students and speaking out about the emergency.
“I am, respectfully, a random student who was pissed off, anxious and wanted to create a voice for those who were not being heard,” she said. “I did not intend on gaining so much traction or being on the news. My true intention was to follow my heart and do what I fully believed was right … In no way is this an attack on UMass Boston or [Capstone On-Campus Management]; it is a concern for my fellow peers. I stepped up because people needed water; donations at the hotel. They either had no time to go to the East Hall Relief Donation or did not know they needed something until night fell. I have minimum concern for myself. My eyes are all on my peers, staff and professors.”
Two petitions have been created since the flood Feb. 9, which both address the issues of the February housing payment and the lack of communication and efficiency shown by the university during this crisis. Both have reached over five hundred signatures. Currently, the approximately 80 students in damaged rooms were moved into long-term housing at Emerson College, where they will remain for the rest of the semester.
Administration has not released any apology statement or explanation regarding their handling of the flood or announced a refund, reimbursement or cancellation of the February housing payment. COCM, which is the company that manages both of the dorm buildings at UMass Boston, has issued some residents in undamaged rooms $100 gift cards. They plan to provide gift cards to all residents in unaffected rooms by the beginning of next week as per an email sent to residents Feb. 20. Students in affected rooms are able to apply for emergency grants up to $1,000 from the Beacon Student Emergency Aid Fund.
“There are a lot of options UMass Boston should consider for communication,” Vatkin wrote in a statement to the administration. “Prioritizing clarity, accepting the uncertainty of answers … letting us know what steps are currently being taken. Future protests are a real possibility if admin or staff do not take action or take our word into account.”