Students wishing to live on campus during the summer will have one fewer option for housing. In a meeting on Feb. 11, Residential Life announced the East Campus Apartments will not be available for student housing during the summer.
According to Angela Koch, assistant director of Residential Life, ECA will transition from a 12 -month housing period to a nine-month period, leaving open the summer months.
Because of the opening of the West Campus Apartments this year, the availability for student housing outweighs students’ requests.
“We don’t have enough demand for having both apartments open during the summer,” Koch said.
With the East Campus Apartments being closed, Residential Life will have the opportunity to repair and restore the apartment interiors.
“Part of the benefit from switching ECA to a nine-month period is we’ll be able to perform its routine maintenance,” Koch said.
Koch said because students would stay in the apartments immediately after the spring semester ended, maintenance workers were not able to perform the repairs.
Because the apartments will be closed during the summer, all ECA apartments will get new carpeting, paint and other necessary makeovers.
James Goeders, a chemistry junior, lives in ECA and believes the apartments need a lot of repairs.
“In my apartment the paint is cracking, the carpet is torn and there are a lot of holes in the wall,” Goeders said. “It’s not important stuff, but just things that need to be taken care of.”
Koch said earlier this semester, Residential Life workers went through every apartment, looking for apartment damages.
“Our custodial supervisors went through and did a survey over what repairs are needed,” Koch said.
Goeders said the apartments were not in good shape when he arrived.
“There is a giant hole in our wall by the door and a lot of cracks around out living room window,” he said.
Goeders also said the appliances in his apartment were not in working condition and needed to be repaired.
“Our dryer would never work too well. It would usually take about three times to dry your clothes,” he said. “The microwave also was broken and we had to use our roommate’s for the entire semester.”
Koch said there are many people unhappy about the ECA closing, but thinks the opportunity to perform the necessary repairs will benefit the students overall.
The West Campus Apartments will be open this summer to accommodate those students who wish to live on campus.