The Pavilions residence hall is expected to reopen next Fall, and is currently an option for on-campus housing.

The aftermath of the Pavilions flooding in Nov. 2018 still has students concerned about what’s going to happen next. Some students say they are excited for the possible reopening of the residence hall in Fall 2019. However, there are also some concerns about housing options and whether housing costs will increase.

Four students who have signed up for housing told Hilltop Views that they are worried about cost next year. In 2018-2019, the highest price for a two bedroom, one bath apartment in the Pavilions cost $4,923. In 2019-20, the price will be $5,070一a nearly 3 percent increase.

“I don’t agree with that, especially if the housing for the Pavilions will increase because from my understanding, they’re just being cleaned,”  junior Bianca Garcia-Gonzalez, who was affected by the flooding, said. “There was extreme water damage and I don’t believe that an increase in price is correct if you’re charging for something that was just cleaned.”

Junior Kaylee Delgado, who lives in temporary housing after the flooding, described the challenges of the housing costs and options.

“I don’t like it, but for me, I don’t drive, so living off campus is not a viable option. It does get a little frustrating, the fact that the price keeps going up,” Delgado said.

Besides the cost of housing rising, there have been mixed feelings on housing options. Some students describe how housing options is not an issue, while others feel that there’s room for improvement.

Some students don’t think housing options are limited because of the various options. The university is keeping East open for cost-effectiveness, and residents of the Pavilions got priority, which helped make their options more available for the upcoming year, said Garcia-Gonzalez.

Others are satisfied with the housing options but were intimidated by the prices.

There are some residents who are not positive about the reopening because of lack of information and updates about the Pavilions.

“St. Edward’s said they would give residents a timeline of the construction, but residents didn’t receive any information,” Garcia-Gonzales said.

Residents who were moved to temporary housing expressed their concerns about the possibility of the Pavilions not being reopened by next Fall.

“I think that if they’re not gonna open, I hope they do tell us something because they did that to us the year before, where they said that it will be open by the next semester. I spent the whole year in the hotel,” Delgado said.

Some residents expressed excitement at the possibility of the reopening because of the possibility of more housing options to students.

Lopez-Izaguirre feels good about the Pavilions opening because it gives the opportunity for more students to live on campus.

The Pavilions are on schedule to open in August. However, if the Pavilions does not reopen by next Fall, the university will provide temporary housing for all students until its reopening, according to Director of Residence Life Alicia Vela.