Student’s home destroyed by fire
TWU offers housing in dorms
July 11, 2005
Noelle Nightingale
Kari Bergrud and Liz Sweet have six weeks to fit in a year’s worth of roommate bonding time. When a housefire on March 6 left Bergrud, a third-year Honours Psychology student, and her family temporarily homeless, Community Life and the housing department took the unusual step of allowing a student to move into junior housing near the end of the academic year.
“We don’t want to have one of our students sleeping out in the cold,” said Housing Director Brad Wallbank.
The Financial Aid Department also came through to help Bergrud, offering her enough money to cover the cost of housing for the remainder of the semester – she was awarded the (dollar sign)560 Weston Scholarship and a Trinity Western University Grant.
“The timing just happened to work out really well,” said Brian Kerr, Associate Director of Financial Aid. Kerr said it is unusual to give out funds so late in the year, but these awards were available because of a student who did not return.
“I’ve been really blessed through all of this,” said Bergrud. “There’s been a lot of support.”
Bergrud’s trouble began when her niece fell asleep with a candle burning in her room. A cat then knocked it over, starting the fire. Although the niece and everyone else in Bergrud’s family were unharmed. There was fire and smoke damage throughout the house. The fire department had to gut everything, and the structure is all that remains. Bergrud’s room was the only one left completely undamaged.
Insurance will cover the cost of restoring the house. Nearly all of the walls and floors need to be replaced, and everything must be repainted. Bergrud said this will probably take at least a month. In the meantime, her family is living at a hotel.
Rather than trying to get all her homework done and commute back and forth to TWU with a hotel room as home base, Bergrud contacted the Front Desk housing office to find out if she could move on campus. She received permission to move into the one spot available in Robson Hall, Sweet’s room.
“I like having a roommate,” said Sweet, “so it wasn’t a big deal.” Although TWU came through to help create a smooth transition for Bergrud. She found out that insurance would not cover the cost of housing. She then contacted the Financial Aid office, which provided the money she needed.
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