Brandt aftermath: Students report mixed experiences with admin response

reported a difference in how international and U.S. students experienced the administration’s response.

“We were just thrown in [Miller Hall],” Hickman said. “I never really met my RA. I just met her for the first time this week for our signout meeting. My roommate is an international student. She only had a suitcase full of clothes. Her having to buy all this stuff—and it took her forever to get reimbursed—was way more stressful for her.”

In addition to their financial struggles and loss of personal belongings, students also experienced mental health problems. International student Leen Zaher (‘26) expressed concern about her mental health due to the situation, citing increased anxiety and stress in the aftermath of the water damage. However, Zaher acknowledges that her situation is better than other students since she was prepared to stay in Miller over break due to Brandt’s closure.

“I brought most of my stuff with me,” Zaher said. “My situation is better than most because I was already prepared.”Students also reported varying experiences with the condition of their room.

The renovation of Brandt West is expected to take its course over the next three years, and students like Wendt recognize the extraordinary circumstances of the December incident. Still, Wendt believes it could have been handled better.

“I understand that it wasn’t expected and they had no protocol for this, but they could have given more money and they could have been nicer to us,” Wendt said. “They moved us and didn’t really tell us anything. They gave people back stuff badly. When I went to get my stuff from my room, we only had like an hour to get all of the stuff out of our room. It was crazy and they could have been more considerate or hospitable about it.”

As the semester has progressed, time has played out the response of Luther’s administration, but former Brandt residents are still dealing with the implications of their displacement.

“The situation could have been handled much more gracefully,” Gaby Herbold (‘26) said. “Their responsiveness to the student’s concerns was effective, but everything else was handled wrong.”

In April, a fence went up around Brandt West. In a Bulletin email, it was shared with students that the college was beginning a three-year window and roofing project on the residence hall. According to the annoucement, the construction on Brandt West has nothing to do with the recent water damage. Construction was supposed to begin last summer but was delayed due to supply chain issues.

Both Student Engagement and Facilities were asked to comment but didn’t respond by the time of publication