Emerson College housing UMass Boston students displaced from flooded dormitory

A local Boston school is opening its doors to UMass Boston students who have been displaced after a burst pipe flooded a dormitory building.

In a letter to students Friday, UMass Boston officials said that the school had reached an agreement with Emerson College to house students whose rooms were severely damaged by the flooding at East Residence Hall on February 9.

“This arrangement will remain in place through the end of the Spring semester, providing stability and continuity for those students. Emerson’s centrally located downtown campus offers convenient MBTA access just a few stops from UMass Boston. Students will be housed in close proximity to one another to maintain community connection, and UMass Boston Residential Life staff, including peer assistants, will be on site to provide continued support and programming. MBTA passes will be made available for these students.

“This has been especially challenging for so many first-year students who are in the process of cementing their connections to our community, their academics, and campus life, which a live-on experience is designed to support. We want to acknowledge that strain and express our gratitude for the patience, flexibility, and compassion shown across our community,” UMass Boston also said.

Students who were living in the roughly 50 UMass Boston dorm rooms damaged had until this past Saturday to collect the rest of their belongings so the university can make repairs.

After the incident on Monday, Students were given the option by the university to go to the Charles River Mount Ida campus in Newton, but many tell us they haven’t been staying there.

UMass Boston says there are still a small number of remaining safety requirements to be completed and formally approved before the next wave of students can be moved back in.

“We remain focused on safety, stability, and transparent communication as we move into this next phase of recovery. Additional updates will be shared as soon as they are confirmed,” the school said.

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