First year student Mikayla Hudgens never liked camping until she was dumped by her boyfriend two weeks ago. Now, she lives in a tent in the woods outside of Craige Residence Hall.
“I wanted a total change of scenery.” Hudgens explained. “I thought getting completely out of my comfort zone would be for the best.”
The day of her breakup, Hudgens bought a tent and other camping supplies from Target and set up by the Craige bridge. Craige’s resident advisors were the first to be notified of the situation.
“A resident called me and told me there was some hippie living in the woods by the bridge,” said Hudgens’ resident adviser, Curtis Fitzgerald. “So I went out there and I was like, ‘oh my god, it’s Mikayla.’”
Fitzgerald tried to convince Hudgens that her coping technique was not the most efficient, but Hudgens was persistent.
“I don’t understand why people have issues with me living out here,” Hudgens said. “I’m not hurting anyone and I’m getting more in tune with the original form of human life. So what if I haven’t showered since he dumped me? Societal standards of hygiene are meaningless in the quest for self-discovery and enlightenment.”
UNC psychology professor Dr. Amy Flyer suggested that Hudgens’ coping methods may be justified. “Everyone has their own way of dealing with things. She should be allowed to cope in her own way so long as her actions do not violate university policies,” Flyer said.
Does living in the woods outside of a residence hall violate university policy, though? UNC Housing Operations has yet to make a decision.
“The student is assigned to a specific room in Craige residence hall,” said RHA spokesperson Joe Ciao.
“If she was living in a different room than her assignment, that would be one thing. But this student is living outside of her room, outside of the residence hall, but still on residence hall property. None of the policies in our book address these circumstances, so it’s a difficult issue to address.”
In the meantime, students continue to be distracted from Hudgens’ new dwelling.
“I think she’s adopted some squirrels as pets,” said Taylor Brennan, Hudgens’ former suitemate. “I see her out there feeding them. It’s like watching that a hysterically drunk person at a party. You feel bad for them, but you can’t stop watching.”
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