Jackson Free Press

Jackson State University's growth is taking place so rapidly that the school was caught off guard this year by the number of students wanting to study there.

The growing pains have hit especially hard for students expecting to live in campus housing. When some students showed up to move in, they found that there were no rooms available.

Olivia Goodheart, the director of public relations for JSU, explained that students have 48 hours to claim their room assignment once they are notified. If they fail to act in that timeframe, their room goes back into the pool.

"Just because these students don't have housing doesn't meant they won't get placed," Goodheart said.

In past years, student housing occupancy lingered between 85 percent and 90 percent by the beginning of the semester, so even late-comers could still get housing. However, this year Jackson State is at 100 percent occupancy for student housing and faces its highest enrollment numbers for a freshmen class. By the time classes started on Monday, some students had not received their housing assignments.

On Monday, WJTV aired the story of an unidentified student from Ohio living in his car while he waited to receive his housing assignment. Other students have had to crash with friends or relatives in the area.

Goodheart said the university is working with students who meet housing requirements. For students to qualify for housing through the university, they must be enrolled, registered for classes and have their financial aid in place. For all eligible students, the university is working on their individual cases.

Fewer than 100 students are waiting for housing placements. In the meantime, the university has exclusively leased out the old Sleep Inn at Gallatin and Pearl streets, which is being called Tiger Point. The university has also leased out another hotel called Tiger Place. JSU also purchased the Palisades apartment complex, now called University Point. Additionally, the university has provided hotel rooms for students who were guaranteed housing and came back to school to find their rooms already full.

Goodheart said the university hopes to place most students by the end of the week before all have actually reported back to campus. Nearly 10,000 students are enrolled at JSU this year, she said.