By Ali Cicerchi

Don’t get settled in just yet.

Residents in newly re-opened Jewell Hall will most likely be moved out as soon as beds become available in other buildings, said Ben Crutcher, UK’s associate vice president of auxiliary services.

“If we need to open (Jewell) up all year we will, but the hope is to move students,” Crutcher said.

Jewell and Boyd halls, both on North Campus, closed in May because the partially filled residence halls were losing money, Crutcher said. An influx of housing applications caused Campus Housing to temporarily re-open Jewell Hall, since Jewell is in better condition than Boyd, he said.

Right now, Jewell Hall is filled to capacity with 108 students in the dorm, compared with last school year’s 60 to 70 percent average occupancy rate, Crutcher said.

After Boyd and Jewell closed, housing had 5,595 applications before May 1, up about 170 from last year. With the halls closed, there was a lack of student housing, Crutcher said, so students applying after the deadlines were put on a waiting list.

There was a wait all summer for those that applied after the deadline, Crutcher said.

“We knew there was a possibility we would have to re-open Jewell even when we closed it if we had higher numbers than we expected,” he said.

Ashley Cartwright and Alexis Mack are both freshmen that were on a waiting list for housing all summer and now reside in Jewell.

“I didn’t know if I would get a room,” Cartwright said. “I was kind of scared.”

Mack said those on the waiting list were given two options: to remain on the waiting list or to move into temporary housing in Jewell that would probably only last through the fall semester.

As of Tuesday there were still 19 male students on a waiting list for on-campus housing. Ten of the students were from Fayette County and were encouraged to commute until housing was found.

“We continue to get cancellations and will fill in beds as they become available,” Crutcher said. “I really think we will have them all assigned by the first day of class.”

Crutcher said that the resident advisers in Jewell will be given an opportunity to fill any vacancies elsewhere.

“We are not planning on them losing their jobs,” said Crutcher.

Ranthony Clark, a Jewell RA, said things are going smoothly so far. Many freshmen and international students occupy Jewell right now, and those students, and others, probably would have no place to live if Jewell hadn’t opened, she said.

“Things are going well,” Clark said. “We are just wondering what’s going to happen to us eventually.”