University Station apartments open

By: Taylor Fulkerson ~Managing Editor~

The residential section of the new University Station complex at the corner of Montgomery Road and Cleneay Avenue has opened with the beginning of the academic year. The complex opened in time for students to move in the weekend before classes began. Students were allowed to move in beginning on Friday.

The new facility has bed spaces for 480 residents, Kathleen M. Murphy, University Station housing manager, said in an email. University Station is currently leased at 100 percent occupancy. The 180-room residential section of the complex involves a mix of student and non-student occupants.

The structure will also house several businesses, including Starbucks, Graeter’s, FroZenYo frozen yogurt, Fat Daddy’s Donuts and TriHealth medical practices according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Some businesses such as TriHealth are already open, while other office spaces remain unfinished at the moment.
The Xavier University Bookstore will also move into the complex on Sept. 8. The Bookstore will maintain a location in Gallagher Student Center for the remainder of this semester, according to Bookstore Director Michael Hubbard. The location on campus will continue to carry textbooks and convenience items.

Matt Orlando, a senior at Xavier and resident of University Station, said in an email that signing up for a lease and moving in was “a smooth process,” but that there were some problems in the complex as students moved in.

“There have been minor issues like dents in the walls, showers that aren’t working and even Internet problems for some suites,” Orlando said. The pool has already been closed at least once because of broken glass, “but all of (the issues) have been handled very professionally by the staff,” he said.

Despite the large number of students who chose to live at the
University Station site, campus housing remains a popular option for students.

“Our occupancy rate this year is higher than it was last year at the same time,” Senior Director for Student Affairs Lori Lambert said in an email. Occupancy in both the Village Apartments and the Commons Apartments, student residences reserved for upperclassmen, remained at over 100 percent. Over 300 rising juniors and seniors chose to live on campus this year.
“While we can’t truly measure demand from one year of data it gave us a pretty solid indication that despite the presence of University Station, students still wanted to live on-campus because of all of the benefits,” Lambert said.

When asked why students might choose to live in University Station, Murphy said that the complex offered students “fully-furnished units with high end finishes and have a lot of great amenities on-site.” The University Station complex features a swimming pool, 24-hour fitness center and private study rooms for residents. Each apartment is fully furnished and includes Internet service, kitchen appliances and a washer and dryer.

Rent at University Station costs up to $770 per month for a single occupant, not including some utilities. The complex only sits approximately three-tenths of a mile from Bellarmine Circle in the center of campus.

Campus housing options continue to offer features that students desire, though, according to Lambert, students chose to live on campus for reasons of “convenience, safety, Xavier services provided, friends living on-campus and overall cost/value.”

Students also cited more convenient length of lease, the convenience of charges being placed on Bursar bills, the quick and easy sign-up process for housing and personal attention from Residence Life staff as reasons for choosing to stay on campus.