The Red Cross immediately provided us with blankets and debit cards to replace necessities that did not yet feel lost. My phone was buzzing with numbers I hadn’t dialed in months – people offering their support after realizing they knew someone involved in the tragedy. I was too shocked to understand the magnitude of what was happening, but the outpouring of help was unbelievable.
Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Beth Hellwig notified residents of the complex that a meeting would be held the next morning to assess any immediate needs and arrange material donations from the surrounding community. This immediate action proved people care . a lot. I will forever be indebted to The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, my friends, my family, my Winterim professor, Charles Tomkovick, The Red Cross, Cindy Nevin, Marc Goulet and countless others for the support they offered during our period of transition.
It then sunk in: we no longer had the comfort of the apartment we called home. We toured a couple of small apartments that University Area Housing had available, but one apartment was a one-room loft not really suitable for four guys for a whole semester, and the other was a two-bedroom apartment that would have been $400 a month. We had been paying $327 a month in our previous apartment. To us, splitting up during such a confusing time seemed to be the worst option, and certainly, paying more than we had previously wasn’t in our budgets, which were dwindling quickly following the fire. While at the Red Cross, a landlord by the name of Jon Moss offered up the home he was currently living in with his family to us. Thank God, a place to call home.
As unbelievable as all of the support was, there were things that needed to be addressed, such as signing off on our current lease and finding the basics we needed to continue attending our Winterim courses – which the kind people at the Red Cross provided us. At this point, our bank accounts were starting to dry up. We were hoping to receive our security deposits as well as the full month’s rent verbally promised to us so we could pay for a new security deposit as well as other essentials. When we returned our keys to University Area Housing and signed off on the lease, less help was offered. By less help, I mean our rent for the month was pro-rated, meaning we paid for every day at the complex in January until the fire. With all of the other support, it was astonishing that UAH didn’t offer to refund the entire month’s rent to show their support or take even minimal responsibility for our situation. Out of pocket came a new security deposit, food for the week, clothing and any other items you otherwise wouldn’t think twice about. For the time being, I had my phone, my keys and a backpack stuffed with random clothing. The university came through big time by giving each resident monetary support from its emergency fund. Without it, I can’t imagine where we would have come up with the funds to continue attending our Winterim courses. I currently have over $900 wrapped up in security deposits, one for the house I am living in my senior year, one for the house we moved into after the fire, and one deposit along with half of the months rent still to be received from UAH. It has already been a month, and we still have not received the money owed to us at the time we could use it most.
I finally understand the negative rumors gasped in response when I told people from whom we rented. The office people are very kind, and our apartment was awesome to say the least. Their business practices, however, seemed sub par following the fire. How can the person who owns such a large portion of Eau Claire’s student housing neglect to remember the students who were left possession-less after a fire?
We understand from a business perspective that the bottom line is what is most important. But from a recently homeless student’s perspective who is also now broke, it is tough to understand how money, not empathy, is what everything boils down to. Apparently, my life is just business to some.
Cayer is a junior marketing major and advertising manager for The Spectator.
