NEW ORLEANS (November 19, 2021) – The university has reached out to its disaster-recovery contractor regarding 22 missing-items claims filed by students post-Hurricane Ida, according to Brendan Greene, Dillard’s general counsel.
Greene advised other students who have not filed but noticed missing items to submit missing claims reports to the Dillard Police Department. He said no timeline has been set for a resolution because the university does not want to incriminate anyone without supporting evidence; the investigation is ongoing.
More than 200 contractors were on campus because of the amount of damage the storm caused, according to Greene. The rooms were cleaned out by contractors, and a total of 56 students received an email stating that some items in their rooms were damaged from Camphor, Hartzell, Straight and Williams halls, along with Gentilly Gardens.
A number of students said they did not receive the email regarding damaged items, but returned to items missing from their room. Nya Love, a sophomore biology major from Little Rock, Arkansas, expressed her grievances stating, “ (I felt) violated and unseen” regarding the missing items.
Police Chief Angela Honora said the claims process is simple: State what is missing and show proof of ownership in the form of receipts or pictures. She said DUPD only files the report and hands them off to Green’s office.
Honora said two additional students filed reports with NOPD because of the value of the missing items.
Honora said in a Sept. 9 email that DUPD went into dorm rooms and cleaned out students refrigerators during the month students were gone. Honora said she assisted her officers in securing the rooms.
Honora said Facilities Management was in charge of security the rooms when contractors worked in the dorms.
An Oct. 7 SGA Town Hall meeting on the subject was an indication of student sentiment over the situation.
At the meeting, Facilities Management Director Shaun Lewis said his staff members did not accompany contractors into residential rooms/spaces. He said it would be impossible for him to do his job and accompany contractors and do his job properly. Students in the crowd responded with sounds of dismay.