ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - Hundreds of students at the University of North Carolina-Asheville are left without permanent housing just days before classes are scheduled to begin.
News outlets report state insurance commissioner Mike Causey deemed five new, apartment-style halls unsafe Thursday, citing construction issues that he says would prevent students from safely evacuating during a fire.
The dorms, collectively known as The Woods, had been declared ready for occupancy by the State Construction Office on Wednesday. The university says 272 students were expected to move in Friday, and will now be put up in area hotels for the time being.
The university says it will offer affected students storage and shuttles.
UNC Asheville Chancellor Nancy J. Cable maintains the dorms are safe. Causey says he hopes the problems will be resolved quickly, but “it’s not an overnight fix.”
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