New student housing options available

Written by Rachel Strobel Tuesday, 02 February 2010 08:00

It is only the fourth week into the spring semester and NDSU Residence Life has already begun preparing for housing options for next year.

During the first two weeks of March, NDSU will be holding its residence hall sign-up. At this time students living in the dorms will be able to select a specific room and designate a roommate. 

For students wanting to live on campus but not in the dorms, there are new options available to them. These will include the University Village and Cityscapes Plaza.

Residence Life is also accepting applications for any other campus apartments, but many of them currently have wait lists. Jason Medders, the assistant director of Resident Life Operations, hopes that these new options for students will cut back on the number of students who have to wait.

“In the past, some students have spent up to six months or a year on a waiting list. What is nice about these new apartments is that there are currently no waiting lists. Students can sign up and know they will have a place to live next year.”

While some recent construction projects on campus have not quite gone according to plan, other buildings are going up without setbacks.

The Niskanen Expansion apartments are scheduled to open in August, and Residence Life is already accepting applications. The three buildings, located south of 19th Ave. N. can hold nearly 800 students. 

All apartments are unfurnished and offer either a two or three bedroom floor plans with a maximum occupancy of four per room. Other features the expansion offers to its residents include two bathrooms in each apartment, a bus pullout and lounge spaces. 

The expansion is part of a long-term plan to put more apartment buildings in the same area, in place of what is now University Village.

Cityscapes Plaza also offers housing to students wishing to live in downtown Fargo. These apartments are located at 630 1st Ave. N. near Renaissance, Klai and Barry Halls. Setbacks forced the completion date close to when students were to move in this fall, but now they are complete and open for residency. 

Cityscapes offers a variety of housing options ranging from studio to four bedroom apartments. Unlike other university apartments, Cityscapes does not have a waiting list at the moment. Applications are being accepted for next fall and for immediate occupancy. 

Karla Thoennes, the senior associate director of Residence Life, thinks students will be interested in a few changes that are being made.

“While the Cityscapes Apartments downtown have been open this year, there is some news about them for next year that students may find interesting, besides the fact that the building is more complete, Thoennes said. “The NDSU Bookstore and NDSU Police  are now located on the first floor.”

After many requests, Cityscapes costs will be dropping at the beginning of June. All apartment costs can be found online at www.ndsu.edu/reslife. 

Another change will be that each apartment will receive one free parking space. Currently, each tenant is responsible for finding his or her own means of parking. According to the Residence Life Web site, students will be able to purchase an additional pass for $35 a month.

Many students may find that the prices of the resident halls and apartments are out of their price range, but Medders explains the benefits that living on campus provides.

“Campus housing is unique because everything is included in the price. Heat, water, cable and electricity are all combined into one bill making it easy for students.” 

Apart from the simple paying method he lists things that can only be found at campus housing.

“Students that live on campus have, on average, a higher G.P.A. than students living off-campus. You are surrounded by other students from NDSU and it puts you in as close proximity to campus as possible,” Medders said.