RICHMOND – Jennifer Pattersen, a transfer student from Tidewater, was one of the many students who started VCU this fall who dealt with complications while waiting for campus housing.
Fortunately for students in Pattersen’s situation, VCU has a program that helps students find apartments and roommates, and directs them on a successful path in becoming first-time tenants.
About 80 percent of students live off campus, says Martha Harper, coordinator of VCU’s Off-Campus Student Services.
“Making sure off campus students get the equal experience to college life as a student who lives on campus is very important,” she said.
VCU officials advise undergraduate students to live within walking distance of the urban university’s Monroe Park Campus, where most classes are held. “The beauty of going to VCU is enjoying the city,” Harper said.
Walking distance does not mean a stone’s throw from Shafer Court Dining Center; a couple of blocks out is fine. “Some of the worst properties can be right across the street, because students want them so bad that landlords aren’t inspired to fix the unit up before leasing,” Harper said.
VCU Off -Campus Student Services, located in Room 120 of the University Student Commons, gives students information about the location of rental properties, ideas for living within a budget, and the history of neighborhoods.
Harper always reminds apartment-dwelling students to respect the other residents who live in the complex. She noted that not every resident is a student; some families may have lived in the apartment complex for generations, and other residents may be faculty members.
Off-campus students should respect not only their neighbors but more importantly their roommates, Harper said. After all, that’s someone you’ll be living with for the next nine to 12 months – and so having a cordial relationship is critical.
The VCU Off-Campus Student Services office has a website with a search engine for finding rental housing and roommates. The address is www.usca.vcu.edu/housing.html
“The database helps students with roommate matching; it also has an option where students can upload their Facebook information to make contacting each other easier,” Harper said.
Searching for an apartment can be stressful. Looking for a roommate can be worse. But the stress may be relieved thanks to a rise in apartment complexes that cater to students and their lifestyles.
Student living apartment complexes are popular near other universities, such as the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and George Mason University in Fairfax. But they are relatively new to VCU.
VCU has one student living complex – 8½ Canal Street Apartments, at the corner of Adams and Canal streets, on the eastern edge of the Monroe Park Campus.
A second property, The Collegiate, located off Chamberlayne Avenue, is finally accepting tenants as of this fall. It’s about three miles north of campus, across Interstate 95 from Jackson Ward.
Student living apartments provide certain amenities – The Collegiate runs shuttle buses to and from campus – so students can focus on their education. They also offer social programs and even community service activities to foster community spirit.
For example, 8½ Canal has a program called Residence Life. It brings residents together for fundraisers, cookouts, socials and other activities.
“With the Residence Life program, residents have a sense of community living here,” said Misty Hill, general manager at 8½ Canal. “Raising awareness to my residents about what is taking place in the community is important to me.”
The competition among properties that rent to students is growing in Richmond. But Hill does not think this will hurt her business.
“My expectations for 8½ Canal before we opened was to be 100 percent leased and occupied, which we were able to meet,” she said. “We have a great location! Plus safety sells to parents, and we can provide that. It gives parent that peace of mind that their children will be OK.”
Crime rates in Richmond have gone down in recent years, but crime still exists. Student living apartments offer extra security and take other precautions to provide safety for their residents.
“Safety is always a parent’s concern whenever their child goes away to college, especially in the city,” said Beth Pinder, community manager at The Collegiate.
She said The Collegiate will be a gated community, carefully restricting who can enter.
“My hope for students that live at The Collegiate is to provide a home away from home where they fell like a family . . . with a wonderful community experience,” Pinder said.
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