Students displaced from their Park Place apartments have started to move back in. 

According to University Communications, eight of the 19 apartments impacted by the mold and mildew have been cleaned and approved for use, and by Sept. 30, all of the affected apartments will be ready to live in again. 

Elon University will reimburse the rent of all 55 students who had to move out. University Communications did not provide Elon News Network with the total cost for relocated students, but based on reimbursement rates provided by University Communications, the maximum payout for a three-person apartment is more than $14,000. That covers rent, gas and hotel room costs, but many residents are expected to see less because they were able to return sooner.

Some students say the process of moving in again three weeks into the semester is a huge hassle. 

“Just the thought of having to move in again after I spent four days doing that at the beginning of the school year, it’s really overwhelming,” said junior Taylor Cassidy, one of the 55 students who had to move.

Other students are concerned about inconveniences larger than some boxes and furniture.

“The mold had caused my asthma attack and it was making me worse,” said senior Erin Bishop. “My dad’s worried at least that it’s in the hallways still … Even if I’m in for a short while, if I’m continuously walking through the hallways throughout the year, I mean, that adds up.” 

Bishop said she hopes that in the future, problems like these will be addressed sooner. 

“There are always worries that this could happen again, and I just hope that those small signs aren’t brushed off next time,” Bishop said. 

“The school needs to pick up its monitoring of mold issues. … The right actions have to be taken, and people need to be listened to when they have humidity issues.”

While the students haven’t been reimbursed yet for the rent of their Park Place apartment, the university has provided phoenix cash to the students, as well as transportation from the hotel to Elon.

Bishop was relocated to a hotel fifteen minutes away from campus, and just this week was able to return to her permanent housing. 

“I had to get up earlier,” Bishop said. “I couldn’t go home as often because if I had an hour walk, I couldn’t just go back to my apartment.” 

“[Elon] has taken the time to clean everything, but this was not the greatest way to start senior year.”