i
m
OCTOBER 11-. 2017
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Property damage in Smith Hall will have lasting consequences
Residents of the all-male
Historic Neighborhood
building displaced by flooding
Jackie Pascale
Executive Director I @lackie_Pascale
a
Twenty-three Eton Universi
ty students were displaced after a
urinal was ripped from the wall in
Smith residence hall; the only all
male freshman dorm in Historic
Neighborhood.
The incident occurred early in
the morning Sept.
30 in a communal
bathroom on the
first floor. Almost
three inches of
water flooded the
hall as a result.
Dehumidifiers
and fans lined the
first floor as part
of early cleanup
measures. After
further investi
gation, more ex
treme measures
have been taken.
Physical Plant
is now using in
tense drying and
heating machines
to prevent mold
growth on the
first floor. Now, residents have ei
ther relocated to Danieley Neigh
borhood, other Smith rooms or'a
friend s place. There is currently no
timetable for their return.
The flood damages are in the
“tens of thousands” of dollars ac
FOR WHAT WAS
THOUGHTTO BE
A COUPLE DAY
INTERRUPTION, AND
ITS TURNED OUT TO
BE MORE THAN A FULL
WEEK NOW WITH NO
END IN SIGHT
MARK GEORGE
PARENT OF SMITH RESIDENTS
cording to Jon Dooley, vice presi
dent of Student Life. Dooley con
firmed this in a meeting with Smith
residents’ parents Oct. 7.
Mark Georges and Judy Pepes
sons are roommates in Smith, and
they both attended the meeting to
ask questions of costs and about
their sons’ dorm room. Their room
is right next to the bathroom that
flooded the hall, and both sons are
currently displaced.
“They are camped out with
other kids in the building who
were gracious enough to host
them,” George said. “For what was
thought to be a
couple-day inter
ruption, and it’s
turned out to be
more than a full
week now with no
end in sight.”
Pepe said she
missed out on
part of the Family
Weekend experi
ence.
“It’s disap
pointing,” Pepe
said. “Coming
down for the
weekend, when
you hope to be
able to see their
room and cel
ebrate that and
take them shop
ping to decorate. Without all that
stuff, it’s disappointing.”
Dooley said in the parents’
meeting that he and other Elon ad
ministrators are looking into their
insurance polices to possibly cover
some of the costs. Originally, Dool
SAMANTHA STtINMAN 1 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
An Elon University groundskeeper packs up after a day of assisting with damage clean-up in Smith residence hall.
ey told Smith residents they might
be paying for the damages, unless
they find the culprit of the vandal
ism. He said in the meeting he is
“confident” they will find the per
son or persons responsible.
George shared this confidence
and belief that the culprit has to be
known at this point.
According to Elon’s housing
agreement for all residence halls,
“where the university has deter
mined that there is theft or undue
abuse of university property and
the responsible individual(s) can
not be identified, all residents will
be held responsible for paying a
prorated share of the cost of repair
ing such damages.”
Several parents said they were
pleased with the communication
from Elon about these incidents,
but would still like more frequent
updates. “We need to hear more,”
Pepe said. “We need to hear poten
tial dates ... we need to hear when
there are other incidents in the
dorms.”
“The bigger issue is this proud
history and legacy of Smith being
an all-boys dorm,” George said.
“Every year, there’s been some lev
el of vandalism ... I think the big
ger issue is breaking this silly, ‘Bro
code,’ that exists where nobody
wants to turn in who’s responsible.”
FTousing market prospers
High demanEl for homes in Alamance
county combined with limited supply
of houses leads to market boom
Jake Lenett
Contributor | (Selonnewsnetwork
QUICK GROWTH
The
Burlington-
Alamance
area currently
stands as the
fourth fastest
growing
housing market
in the state.
The Alamance County housing market
is booming because of an increasingly high
demand and limited supply of homes and
apartments. In fact, the Burlington-Ala-
mance area currently stands as the fourth
fastest-growing housing market in the state,
following Charlotte, Ra
leigh and Durham-Chap-
ei Hill respectively.
A sizable portion of up
perclassmen elect to reside
off campus at some point
during their Elon careers.
Their search for homes
and apartments will be af
fected by the rapidly grow
ing market, which may
prompt students to assess
their living options more seriously.
According to local real estate executives
Jon Lowder of the Piedmont Triad Apart
ment Association, and John Walker of ReMax
Diamond Realty, the basis for the thriving
housing market boils down to a simple case
of supply and demand, fueled by a wide array
of factors.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the main
drivers is accessibility,” Lowder said, in refer
ence to the root causes for increases in hous
ing demand. Lowder, executive director of the
Piedmont Triad Apartment Association, also
cites Alamance County’s proximity to the Ra-
leigh-Durham and Chapel Hill areas, specifi
cally via interstates 40 and 85 as contributors
to that accessibility. In addition to the “decent
commute times,” the Burlington-Alamance
district also provides a “smaller city feel” at
reasonable prices” buyers are looking for, ac
cording to John Walker, the owner of ReMax
Diamond Realty in Mebane.
Because Q.f Abe rising popularity of homes
and^ apartments in Alamance County, the
corrt|>etitibn Elon students face for real estate
is escalating.
“We see a wide array of buyers in our area
from first-time buyers, to those looking to up
size, to those looking at senior living commu
nities,” Walker said. “A lot of people are mov
ing to the area for work either in Alamance
County itself, or ... a reasonable commute
time to Greensboro, Raleigh or Durham.”
Consequently, students seeking to lease
off-campus housing are confronted with
rising rent prices, and those looking to
purchase residential properties will have to
compete with statewide homebuyers. Walk
er said. Furthermore, local realtors have
identified a trend as former, single-family
residential properties are being bought in
stead of rented. Reasons for this shift are be
cause of growing economic prosperity and
a housing resurgence following the 2008
recession; consumers nowadays are gener
ally more confident in making expensive
decisions, such as purchasing versus leasing
their next home.
Though the housing prices have wit
nessed a recent surge, listings in the area
surrounding Elon University are not unat
tainable. For students specifically, this just
means that they’ll have to, “Be flexible, build
in some time to look around, and understand
that there are some trade offs,” Lowder said.
Contacting a reputable broker for purchases
or property management company for rent
als would also be quite wise, according to
Walker’s expertise.
When beginning the hunt for the ideal
off-campus property, both executives advise
students to ask themselves pressing ques
tions, ranging from “Is it likely that the mu
sic you blast at 2 am will prompt a complaint
from neighbors?” to the more practical ques
tions such as, “How far are you willing to
commute to campus?” and “What amenities
does this property offer?” Regardless of the
answers, finding the right property — ac
cording to both realtors — is simply a matter
distinguishing wants from needs.
GRAND OPENING!
OCTOBER 19TH • 4-6PM • THIRD FLOOR. ELON TOWN CENTER
All Elon students, staff, and faculty are invited to tour the
new Maker Hub location in Downtown Elon. The new
makerspace, located above Pandora's Pies, is a creative
space where anyone can make ideas come to life using a
wide variety of equipment including 3D printers, a CNC
router, laser engraver, and more!
TOURS • REFRESHMENTS • PRIZES
ACTIVITIES
0 Customize a hexagon to hang on the Maker Hub wall
# DIY leather bracelet station
0 Raspberry Pi demos
0 Maker Hub tours
0 Laser cutter demos
DIY sticker station
Giveaways
{F ® ©ElonMakers