By Lucas Trahan  

Lake Charles, Louisiana.—  As the spring 2026 semester at McNeese State University comes to a conclusion, some students living on campus are working to prepare for exams while preparing to move-out of campus.  

According to McNeese Housing Contracts, the leasing agreements originally ended May 8 but was extended to allow residents to stay in their dorms through finals week. However, each resident has 24 hours after their last final to clean their unit and turn their keys into the housing office. Graduating students are given until 24 hours after commencement.   

“It’s hard because you don’t have a break between finals and the deadline to move out,” junior Kamren Lastrapes, a resident of Collette Hall, said. “Especially because I have so much on my plate and I don’t have the same support as everyone else.”   

Residents like Lastrapes don’t receive help from family when move-out time comes around. 

For graduating seniors, the pressure is compounded by post-college preparations. 

“Preparation has been stressful just because there’s a lot of moving parts between figuring out where I’m going to move to, work at, finishing classes, and still working my internship, and also doing normal grad things like taking pictures and making invites,” senior Jasmin Winfield, a resiednt of Burton Hall, said. “But it’s getting easier as finals [week] gets closer.”  

McNeese housing officials said the time crunch is necessary to accommodate for summer campus events, deep cleaning, maintenance, and to ensure a smooth transition between semesters.  

“There’s a lot of functions going on throughout the summer, cowboy camps, dorm renovations, and the summer session,” said Valarie Russell, a junior resident assistant. “It is a lot to take care of. The sooner housing is able to prepare the dorms for the summer, the better.”   

“The 24-hour move-out timeline following a resident’s last final is a widely used standard across university housing programs.” said Drew Hoffpauir, the manager of McNeese Housing. “ While we certainly empathize with the challenges that come with finals and coordinating travel, extending the timeline broadly would significantly impact our ability to prepare facilities in a timely and equitable manner.”   

McNeese Housing heavily encourages residents to plan accordingly since they are given a notice before move out, however, should anything come up email McNeese Housing at live@mcneesereslife.com.