For most students, moving day is a fun or stressful adventure when they arrive on campus. Now imagine having to do it again midway through the year. For Waynesburg University, most students don’t have to. However, residents currently living in Ray Hall are being moved to other women’s dorms to take up available space.  

Dean of Students Kelley Hardie said Ray Hall is not shutting down due to a manufactured failure or disaster, but simply because there is enough space available in other dorms. She is overseeing the shutdown of Ray Hall, as well as the procedures to move students to other dorms. “We have enough vacancies in the other halls so we can easily accommodate those students to live in other residential halls,” Hardie said.  

As of right now, plans for Ray Hall down the road are unknown. While nothing is wrong structurally with Ray, if available space is present, then Hardie and other authorities decided to limit usage by moving the students.  

“Additional aid with removing and applying all of the students’ belongings from Ray to any of the other halls will be provided with no cost or fees,” Hardie said.  

Hardie detailed the process as follows. Housing assignment distributions started Thursday, Nov. 9. Students were welcome to begin moving from when they received their housing assignment. University vehicles and personnel would be provided and assigned to help students. Roommates would remain with each other during the move so as not to disturb other residents. Hardie explained that regardless of the pricing of the halls, students will be paying the same amount of Ray, eve even if they are moved to one of the suite-style rooms in the SWEP buildings. All accommodations students had previously will carry over into their new housing.  

Heidi Dziak, director of housing, stated in an email interview that she was the one to decide where students would end up. Dziak explained that she attempted her best to match students to their “previous status” at Ray and based on “personal knowledge” where to assign the new room for students.  

Dziak is also in charge of the personnel that will be aiding students moving their belongings.  

Meanwhile, as stated, the return of Ray Hall is undetermined. The likelihood of Ray being available again depends solely on incoming and returning students. “The ratio of available rooms to students was highly leaning towards the available rooms,” Hardie said. Depending on the number of incoming freshmen in following years as well as the consistent number of students returning, Ray might become available again in coming years. Halls shutting down is not uncommon, according to Hardie.  

This is not the first time this kind of situation has occurred. Hardie said there have been times in the past 20 years when entire floors or halls have been shut down due to a lack of students to fill the rooms. This is an entirely normal procedure when the number of students does not line up with the number of available rooms.  

If any questions from students need answering, Hardie will give answers to whomever she needs to.