As 2025’s Fall Semester came to a close, VSU’s Housing Department released a survey with a big offer to students – a $300 prize – the catch: you had to indicate 100% satisfaction with Housing’s performance and facilities.

Initially, the offer was extended to students through both flyers, and an email which read,

“Good afternoon, {FirstName}! We would love to hear from you! If you have any feedback about work order response and facilities, please see the flyer below in order to complete a survey.”

The email was sent to all VSU campus residents on Nov. 5th, with flyers indicating the survey was open for the entirety of that month.

The flyer prompted students to “Share your positive feedback! Students with 100% positive responses will be entered into a raffle to win a $200 gift card.”

The same flyer told students “We are excited you are on campus. Your experience is important to us and your feedback will provide valuable information to help us improve our service.”

Another flyer, first spotted on campus November 21st, indicated an increased prize of $300 to the raffle winner.

The Spectator reached out to Cason Zachary, an honors student and resident of Georgia Hall, for comment.

“The use and distribution of these forms and the associated raffle made me feel like feedback was inconsequential and not actually wanted, and it additionally gave the appearance of the current upper leadership in housing either allowing or sponsoring activities that contribute to a harmful environment in housing for its residents and employees.”

Walter Cruz, an aspiring Bio-Chem major staying at Hopper Hall also voiced concern about the survey. “It’s not okay to pay off students for silence. I think ethically they could design these raffles better.” Cruz said.

“The maintenance speed of housing is very slow and they reschedule a lot. They also don’t really even look over work orders, I think we put in three for ours. It’s still unanswered and it was put in 5 days ago.”

The Spectator also reached out to Amanda Thompson, the Director of Housing, for comment, but did not receive a response.

Until then, students remain voicing concern about Housing’s performance “I find the attempts by Housing to make Reed Hall appear like a higher quality service that is worth the roughly $40 a day I pay to stay there abhorrent,” said senior Oscar Shute.