CINCINNATI — UC students trying to move in for fall semester faced multiple debacles at The Deacon in the form of holes in walls, uncleaned rooms and unfinished spaces.
On Tuesday, after families complained for days, the University of Cincinnati announced it would handle housekeeping and maintenance at The Deacon temporarily, in lieu of building property management company Yugo USA.
Throughout move-in week, students were told their rooms at The Deacon were ready, only to be surprised when they opened their doors.
"I mean, it was just a mess," said Jackson Vollbrecht, UC sophomore. "Dust everywhere and stuff on the ground."
Vollbrecht tried to move from Virginia into The Deacon on August 11, but found his apartment untouched since the last tenants moved out.
He stayed in a hotel that first night after management asked him to come back the next day.
"We get in there and the floor was still a mess," said Vollbrecht. "The only thing they did was paint. That was it. And they left their scalpel, some shirts, an eaten apple, paint cans, stuff like that all over."
Vollbrecht might still be one of the lucky ones — his home was just dirty.
In the hallway, shoes stick to exposed epoxy surfaces as tenants walk on floor devoid of carpet. In Lisa Wilson's son's apartment, flooring was pulled up and carpeting that did exist was bubbled — just like the ceiling.
MORE: Also today, sophomore track and field athlete Jackson Vollbrecht showed us the hallway floors still unfinished - just glue. There are holes in walls and doors.
His move-in was two days delayed: his apartment hadn't been cleaned or painted when he got his keys. pic.twitter.com/70oEgA5s5v
— Evan Millward (@EvanMillward) August 23, 2022
This was all despite a note they received days before move-in that said they could move in, because the apartment wasn't affected by recent leaks from the sprinkler and HVAC systems officials said have led to many of the issues inside the building.
"I have friends and teammates that are still in hotels waiting to move," said Dominique Hall, a sophomore and one of Vollbrecht's roommates.
Another parent said she found mold in the vents when she tried to move her daughter in.
Yugo USA has not responded to requests for comment made several times in the last week.
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