Students move between dorms, apartments

      Outside the veranda of MSU hangs a banner indicating the ease of moving into Bobcat Village, the GCSU on-campus apartments. The ad invites passersby to move at a rather non-traditional time of the year.
     Bobcat Village is certainly not the only option for students shifting living situations, and is also not the only place boasting its amenities. Students are moving around Milledgeville, and the reasons for doing so are plentiful. 
     Since there are many options, the actual task is a potentially large one. However, students are still moving now instead of the traditional end of school year, saving the frustration for what would seem to be a more conventional time.
     A common response seems to be the lure of appealing amenities.
     Leigh Anne Beaudreau, a senior outdoor education major, said that her new private residence hall room is “just a walk away [from main campus] to a place that is a comfortable home where I can study and where I can relax or be alone.”
     Beaudreau preferred being close to campus and not having to worry about finding a parking space everyday. She previously lived in an apartment off campus and commuted to school.  Convenience plays a major role in choosing among many living choices.  
     Large-scale apartment complexes such as The Grove, Magnolia Park, and Bobcat Village boast many amenities that reflect convenience and comfort at reasonable prices. These complexes seem to be an obvious choice for student living. Most of these complexes are more than 50 percent full, or are at full residency and have a waiting list.
     There are alternatives to living in an apartment complex, such as renting a house or a duplex. These seem to be other common choices for GCSU students. 
     All of these accommodations have experienced some shifting of residents at this non-traditional time of year. They now allow new residents to move in at anytime space is available, but generally do not allow residents to move out based on agreements made in the lease agreement between the residents and the complex, except in the event of extreme or unusual circumstances such as withdrawing from school or graduating. 
     Matt Beckett, a manager at The Grove said, “we don’t have to, we choose to,” in regards to the possibility of residents moving out before their lease expires. 
     Beckett mentioned that only a few move-ins and move-outs have occurred at The Grove, and these were mostly due to circumstances such as withdrawal from school, graduating or students transferring.
     According to Melissa Olsen, the property manager of the Magnolia Park apartment complex, one new resident reportedly moved in because of a direct correlation to the new controversial ordinance recently decided upon by the City of Milledgeville which affects various non-related residents living in single-family dwellings within the city limits.
     “We try to accommodate,” Olsen said.  “ New residents can count on a clean, upscale living environment.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 26 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry