“There’s no better feeling than walking down the street after a long day of classes to see my four roommates enjoying good weather, relaxing on our porch. You don’t get that kind thing from living in a regular old dorm,” said senior Lindsey Slingerland.
High Point University prides itself on improving the campus and adding new facilities nearly every year. Most additions are not only accepted but anticipated by the students. However, this year there is disagreement on whether the 5th street houses should be torn down as planned. “Rainbow Row”, as the houses are commonly referred to, is the strip of individual pastel-colored houses that were previously occupied by Greek organizations.
The original plan was for the houses to be knocked down and new housing options built in their place for this year. Other new construction caused these plans fall through. With the addition of the Greek Village, Rainbow Row became available to house upperclassmen this fall.
Junior Erin Sinnott, who currently lives in the pink house, says, “I’ve lived on Rainbow Row the past two years, and it’s one of my favorite parts about High Point. It adds color to the environment… it’s much different than the typical brick buildings you see across campus. For me, I’ve gotten a better living experience out of the houses than I did in the dorms my freshman year; although the houses are old and do need some work, it offers a much more home-y feel. It adds diversity and variety to our housing options, and I’d seriously be disappointed if they chose to tear these cute little houses down to add more brick buildings.”
Barbie’s Dream House? Or a HPU owned house….
A sushi bar, Italian restaurant, ice cream parlor, and another Starbucks would be utilized but many students do not want to part with the unique houses. “I’ve seen the plans the school has for 5th street and yes, it’ll add more dining options for our campus but at the same time, the housing options we have there now add diversity to our campus. Everyone that comes and visits thinks they’re the cutest things. I think it’s a bad idea to tear them down because they may be old but they add character” said senior Chelsea Bernatavitz.
On the other hand, some students believe the houses are unhealthy and should be done away with.
“I’m all for it so long as it provides enough housing and dining locations to accommodate the increasing class sizes,” said junior James Mazzola.
What can be expected for these houses next year? As of right now, the office of student life is making no promises. University-owned houses will not be an option when creating housing groups at the end of February but students will be able to add themselves to a waiting list. At this time there is no certainty about which houses will still be owned or which will be newly acquired by HPU.