The competition: College living turns lavish
 

College living turns lavish


Today's off-campus student housing offers everything from tanning beds to concierge service.
By STEPHANIE HAYES, Times Staff Writer
Published September 12, 2005



TAMPA - Taneica Phillips grabbed her shower door handle and turned around, eyes wide like saucers.

"Huge showers!" she said, showing off a glass-enclosed stall that looked like it would hold a compact car.

"It is a bit much," she said, grinning. "But I'm not complaining."

Phillips, a 22-year-old University of South Florida psychology major, lives in Avalon Heights, an off-campus student apartment complex across from USF's Tampa campus.

Forget about hot plates and pizza-box furniture. Avalon, and complexes like it, offer a new take on the college experience.

Fully furnished apartments with comforts like flat-screen televisions, hot tubs and tanning beds have become the status quo.

Phillips shares her suite at Avalon Heights with two other women. She has a minifridge, a microwave and a sink next to her bed, plus the full-sized kitchen she shares with her roommates.

The lifestyle holds at Campus Lodge, a sprawling, 46-acre student complex on Livingston Avenue that looks like a Walt Disney resort. Apartment suites are called "bungalows." The leasing office has a large antler chandelier, a stone fireplace, cozy leather furniture and a view of a sparkling pool.

"It is more resort living than it is college dorm living," said Reno Satterfield, regional property manager for Campus Lodge, which has five other locations.

Resident Katie Bigham, a 21-year-old psychology major who works in Campus Lodge's front office, has tried both living styles.

"I lived on campus my first year, and it's a big step up," she said. "We have parents come in here all the time who are like, "Wow, if we had this when we were growing up..."'

One issue of The Oracle , USF's student newspaper, had 11 advertisements for luxury apartments. It's not just Tampa, student housing is big business all over the country.

College Park, a company that manages two complexes around USF, manages properties in 26 states. Texas-based American Campus Communities has been involved in developing 90 complexes, and Allen & O'Hara Education Services has properties in 35 U.S. cities. Many student housing companies are publicly traded on the stock market.

On-campus housing also has crept up in quality, said Tom Kane, director of residence services at USF. Kane said USF has accommodations where 30 students share one bathroom, but also four-bedroom, living room and kitchen units.

Kane questions whether big-ticket amenities help or hurt students.

"When you go to college, the No. 1 thing you should be focused on is learning, so I'll ask the question, "Do you even need cable television?"' he said.

The answer, it seems, is yes.

"Our students in the residence halls have asked for seven HBO channels next year," Kane said.

If students want the best, they also want the simplest means to get it. Most apartments offer individual leases that pay for a student's room, a shared common area and utilities.

Rent at Boardwalk at Morris Bridge, three minutes from USF, is $490 per roommate a month, and includes water, sewer, electric, phone, Internet and digital cable. Other perks include a computer lab with free printing, a game room with X-box and PlayStation 2, a movie theater, a high-tech tanning capsule, a party-sized whirlpool, concierge service and a gym with a personal trainer.

Rent at Campus Lodge ranges from $449 to $559 per person for two-, three- and four-bedroom units, and includes all utilities except for a phone line.

Bigham said the individual-lease system makes college life a little easier.

"You don't have to worry about whether your roommates are paying," she said. "If they don't pay their rent, our rent doesn't go up or down or anything. We don't have to make up for them."

The demand for newer, bigger and better has even spread to a private dormitory that has towered across from USF since the 1960s.

Known for years as Fontana Hall, the dorm is now called The Edge at 42nd Street. Since developer Steve Walsh of Broad Street Partners bought the property almost two years ago, he has been busy giving the dorm a facelift.

By fall of 2007, the Edge will have a new eight-story tower, 400 more beds, a five-level parking garage, new paint, interiors, gym equipment, computers, a pool deck and flat-screen televisions in common areas.

Walsh doesn't foresee the market slowing in this area.

"The two major campuses where you can have growth anymore are (the University of Central Florida) in Orlando and USF in Tampa," Walsh said. "They both have some land left to expand. We expect the growth at USF to continue as the state grows."

Taneica Phillips said her motivation for choosing Avalon Heights was privacy. She likes having her own bedroom and bathroom, and the walk-in closet and huge shower are a plus.

Phillips didn't move into Avalon without some stern words from her mother.

"The first thing she said to me was, "You'd better keep this place looking nice and neat, because you're living much better than we are back home."'

This kind of thing becomes huge competition for Greek housing. In addition, many colleges are upgrading their dorms -- more single rooms, internet access, cable, etc.

Makes it hard to compete.

When daughter #1 was at Ohio University, we bought her a very nice little studio apartment condo about a half mile from campus. It included free bus service to campus and "uptown" along with workout room, pool, free parking and it was fully furnished and accessorized. We rented it out (Medical students loved it) for a few years after she graduated and the net effect was the she lived in it for free.

Tough to justify spending a lot of money on a chapter house with this kind of stuff available.

These kiddos are gonna get a shock when they graduate and mom and dad stop paying the bills. Then, when they have to move into a 400 square foot efficiency because it's the only thing they can afford they will understand. ;)

EXACTLY! I hope some personal financial management and real world education goes along with that. Or some of them will be in for a huge shock when they graduate.

I lived in Campus Lodge in Gainesville and if you ask me, it was much nicer than the one in Tampa at USF. Then again I lived there when it was brand new and it was mostly people from South Florida that lived there. The rent was $550 per person per room. It was worth it because we had our apt on the thrid floor with vaulted cielings and it was centered directly across from the pool, like maybe 50 yards away with our back porch facing the pool. And the porch was screened. The rooms also had mirrors at the corners of the hall ways so you could see around every corner from laying in your bed....we liked it because if any of us were hooking up we'd leave the door open for everyone else to watch. :D


ETA: And there were no utility bills.....we had the AC on 60 all summer long.


BTW- this is nothing new. You guys should see some of the newer places. Complexes like Campus Lodge are now outdated.

I wasnt shocked, just pissed. I miss those carefree days so much.

This is Campus Lodge in Gainesville when it was being built:


http://www.eaausa.com/images/clgainesville_part1.jpg http://www.eaausa.com/images/clgainesville_part2.jpghttp://www.eaausa.com/images/clgainesville_part3.jpg

I'm amazed at how much that looks like the one in College Station.

http://info.rentnet.com/property/92/...470892.p02.jpg

I mean... WOW the pool is exactly the same! Weird. :)

OOPs caught Red Handed!:p

Have you been in the one at College Station?

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds terribly unappealing? I'd rather live in a cute little vintage apartment that has some character. Complexes are gross and/or sterile, no matter how "nice" they're trying to be.

I totally agree. They built new complexes like this at Clarion and they just look ghastly to me. I mean, it's a box just like a dorm, albeit a nicer box.

The problem is getting the scumbag landlords to do necessary maintenance on the cute little vintage apartments, which I'd say is probably a big part of why students (and their parents) go for these. They're secure, the water and heating and electric is up to date, and you can call the complex manager and get your problem taken care of ASAP. Well, theoretically.

Just curious why you would think it wierd? Probably owned by the same people and built from the same set of plans.

Miss The Good Old Days when Members lived not In Lavish Digs but Lived there because they wanted to be with their Members.

It werent the best, but is was a palace to us!:cool:

How about Not having a place to call Your Own?

For some of these kids, mom and dad never will stop paying the bills.

Aye!

I went to a pool party there once a couple of years ago. College Station apartments are really big on throwing pool parties. Fun times. :)

Lavish? These are still student apartment complexes. Most of the crap they advertise either
A. Doesn't work, or
B. Is in such demand that you can't even use it (ex: exercise rooms, tanning beds)

Campus Lodge sucks now that it's 4 years old.

We have one complex here (i think it is owned by college park) where you get free membership to a local golf course (which is a pretty big deal).

Freshman year I lived in the oldest dorm. Originally it had sections A-F (i think) but when I moved there all sections other than A had been condeemed and torn down. My room was essentially a cinderblock cell with a desk and a sink.

Sophomore year I lived in the ghetto (at least ghetto for Clemson). $250/mnth for a 9x14 room. The complex had no amenities what so ever. The sink dripped, the toliets stopped up, the washer and dryer broke, etc.

But I wouldn't trade living those two places for the world! It was FUN. We didn't have to worry about damaging stuff. Spill beer on the carpet... no problem, it blended in with the multiple stains already there. Accidently kick through the wall (um, yeah this really happened)... no problem, just tell the landlord the hole was there when you moved in.

Then I transferred schools and had to live at home. :(

I'm just baffled at the pricing.... the apartments at SFSU charge, last I heard 850 a month to share a bedroom and don't have any extra amenities except cable.

Its the same in Gianesville. I'm going to a pool party this weekend there for Florida VS. Tennessee. :D

I just moved into a campus suite. It's still "dorm living", but it's been really really nice. 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, kitchen, dining area, and a living room. My bedroom is as big as my entire dorm room was the past 2 years. It seems that colleges are moving towards the "apartment" style dorms, realizing that they're essentially more efficient than the cinder block halls. Bethany College's Cambell Village has been EXTREMELY influential in attracting new students (they're almost pushing 1000 is what the rumors are). OC just (meaning last week) broke ground for a new dorm that will be 2 students to a suite w/ 1 bathroom and the barracks style dorms that were meant to be temporary (20 years ago...) are going down. The college REQUIRES students to live on campus, in campus housing, for 2 years, unless housed by parents or commuting from a 30 mile radius. Problem is, the freshman class has been growing exponentially for the past 3 years, leaving little to no housing. So this has forced OC to send people off campus and into apartments that are off campus (in a plan) and to house freshmen in a Bed and Breakfast and in a hotel. Not efficient, and it doesn't make for very happy students or parents. So perhaps campuses moving to suite/apartment style for students is a good thing...

Incidentally, I worked at a "900 a month for a single" apartment complex with a pool and a tanning bed and an exercise center. NEVER again. I was the lifeguard, and the shit I took from people made me absolutely bonkers. What part of "YOU CAN'T DIVE INTO 4 FOOT OF WATER" is not clear? And the drinking that was allowed by the management (now you wanna talk about risk management!!!) drove me bonkers. Saturday and Sunday (when I was alone there, no other workers were working or on call) people would spend the ENTIRE DAY drinking there, from 10 am to 9 pm. GAAAAAAAAAAH!

Not that weird... developers have architects create a standard design, with minor variations in trim and other items that may be required per state and local building codes.

LA Living is expensive as well!
I know for my boyfriend (who goes to USC), he actually got a better deal living in a really nice downtown apartment complex (with a huge apartment, rooftop pool overlooking the city, and glass-walled exercise room also overlooking the city) than in the housing in the neighborhood around USC. He still pays around $750 to share a room...

My parents wanted to do the same thing that Delt Alum did for his daughter - buy a nice condo, then rent it out after I graduated. But that was when I was going to go to a different school - it really wasn't feasible at Pitt.

I'm not wild about the luxury apartments while in school, because I think graduates are faced with enough sticker shock/reality checks when they get into the real world, without having to deal with what their paychecks will cover, as opposed to what Mommy & Daddy's can cover.

I have friends who lived in the Gainesville Campus Lodge and the USF Tampa Lodge. The apartments are HUGE and the amentities are awesome. They're one of the few furnished apartments that come with a queen size bed (and a room that's big enough to fit it!).

I admit that these luxury apartments were the reason I never lived in the ZTA house. Why share a small room and closet with another person when you can have a huge space (and bathroom!) all to yourself?

The new trend at UCF is to have your parents buy a house and then rent out the rooms to friends. My friend that I lived with last year did that. After living in apartment complexes for years, I definitely have to say that the house was a much better experience!

I would have to agree with you that this describes the vast majority of cases. I'm not in college any more but I have a cute 'vintage' apartment (with the prettiest stained glass windows in the spare room) and my landlady is on top of things, when I call her it's taken care of ASAP.

That's been going on in Colorado for quite a while. A good friend owns houses in both Boulder and Ft. Collins where hid kids go or went to school. It is much the same dynamics as the condo we bought -- although we didn't buy a multi-bedroom one like a lot of people did. In retrospect, that would have made sense, but we didn't want to spend the extra money (even though rent might have paid the mortgate entirely.

It turned out well anyway.

These complexes are amazing (in comparison to traditional dorms). Heck, these sound nicer than what I'm living in now and I'm 31 yrs old with a masters degree. I lived in an apt-style dorm in college, but it was nothing like the ones described.

I'm chuckling over the comments about the sticker shock these students will face when they are no longer on their parents payroll. I was watching a show today on MTV and these kids were crying and being total brats because their parents wouldn't buy them a new car for their 16th b-day - one girl expected a Versace dress for something (maybe prom - I missed that part). I'm guessing they will pitch a fit if their parents don't put them up in a Trump Tower when they go off to school. :) I agree with the poster who said they are in for a shock when they can only afford a 400 sq ft apt upon graduation - and in some parts of the country, they may be sharing that with someone because its so expensive. Some of my best college memories are from doing something (or living somewhere) el cheapo - we were all in the same boat and had to figure out how to have fun on minimal or no cash. What ever happened to those days?
And looking back, it taught us a lot about money mgt, etc.

This thread is over 12 years old and I know of so many universities' perfectly decent dorms that have been razed since that time and replaced with really fancy ones. Some colleges feel like they can't attract great students without them. :confused:

There's a great two-year college in the state that now has a dorm that looks like a Disney hotel. Huge lake with a fountain in front--and why?

Carnation, how old is that two-year college and have they always had dorms available for students?

In our area there are no dorms at the two-year school, and in the really old days it was more commonly referred to as a commuter school. It's truly still a commuter school, with the bonus of online classes.

I don't believe they have any plans for building student housing, as there are many available apartments/condos/etc. for attending students who feel the need for same. However, our two-year school has been vastly improving old, and building new, infrastructures over the past dozen years while expanding the library, arts center, and sports complex.

All the SSHE schools are doing this and I don’t think it’s helping enrollment one whit. “If you build it they will come” was a fantasy movie, silly administrators :p

Plus, if the population bust mentioned in the other thread keeps up, these buildings will be hurting for residents sooner rather than later.

Well, I mined their website and couldn't find out how old they are--it's been quite awhile and they now offer some four-year programs. Fabulous school!

I found a photo of the dorm--go to the bottom of the page. http://www.abac.edu/student-life/hou.../abac-lakeside

I had a conversation about this with a friend who worked as an administrator at one of our large state schools. She asked me to describe the house that I grew up in (answer 2 parents, 4 kids, 1 bathroom). Then she asked me to describe the house that my children have been raised in (2 parents, 3 kids, 6 bathrooms). She said, "See, this is what today's students have been raised to expect. They don't want to live somewhere that they have to share a bathroom with 50 other people."

It became very clear why the administrators are being forced to raze these old buildings. We have raised a generation with different expectations about their standard of living. When you are 17 and evaluating colleges, this can impact college choice as much, if not more, than the quality of the education.

Our school built a new Greek Village in 2014, with shared bathrooms on each floor and a mix of singles, doubles, and triples. The developer (who also owns a large student apartment complex across from campus) told us that students want singles and adjoining private bathrooms. All of the advisors scoffed and said, "No -- do the communal floor plan. That's the fun of living in a sorority house and they can share like we did!"

Four years later, and all of use some type of "draft" to fill the last few beds in our houses each year, even though our membership numbers are 4X the house capacity, because the members would rather live in the posh apartments with their private everything. While we always have members who love the big triples and members who want to live together, there are also several each year who want to live in but insist they must have a single. And there just aren't enough of those, even though we charge more for them. These members admit they just can't share or deal with a roommate.

Man, all the sharing and camaraderie was half the fun of living in the house!!! I loved it!

My alma mater built a new dorm with all the modern bells and whistles a couple of years ago, though older dorms have been updated. There's one that was started in the 1890s, though the final wings were built in the 1950s. It was interesting to read that the dorms cost the same (maybe differentiated by size, e.g., singles vs. doubles) so as not to create a more expensive rich-kid dorm.

The newest dorms on our campus are reserved for Honors College students and are waaaaayyy nicer -- instead of a "rich-kid" disparity, we have a "smart-kid" disparity...it's like first class and coach.