i m OCTOBER 11-. 2017 M 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