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DTH/KATHY SHUPING
Children spend the day sledding behind Odom Village, UNC's family-style housing complex. The complex will be
converted into apartment-style suites in 2005, one year before construction begins on other new housing sites..
Complexes lure tenants with added benefits
BY AMY KINGSLEY
STAFF WRITER
Residents at some local apart
ment complexes can tan, swim,
work out, socialize and more all
without a special membership.
Amenities, all the extras that
come with four walls and a roof,
can make certain apartment com
munities more appealing than oth
ers. The competition for the stu
dent dollar increasingly can be
measured by the list of amenities.
Amenities range from basic to
extravagant. The Villages boasts a
list of extras, including monthly
Arts groups court campus
Entertainment
options varied
BY KATE LORD
STAFF WRITER
As the spring semester begins,
students are looking for entertain
ment outlets on campus.
Through UNC-affiliated groups,
there are a wide variety of choices
to be found.
For those interested in theater,
several associations on campus are
willing to cater to their needs.
Pauper Players is a student-run
musical theater group that will be
showcasing a music revue called
“Broadway Melodies” from Feb. 5
through Feb. 8, as well as an April
production of the love story “The
Fantasticks.”
The oldest student theater com
pany on campus is Lab! Theatre,
which is affiliated with the
Department of Dramatic Art.
From production to design to all of
the acting, students are the core of
this ensemble. Starting the spring
season with a production of
“Glengarry Glen Ross,” which runs
from Feb. 6 through Feb. 10, the
troupe also will be producing “The
House of Yes” and “Sylvia” in late
February and early March.
To see professional actors in
action, look no further than the
Paul Green Theater, where the
Play Makers Repertory Company
performs. The company is wrap
ping up its current run of “King
Lear” and will present “The
Subject was Roses” and
“Luminosity” later in the semester.
Play Makers spokeswoman Pam
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l||jP SI,OOO off your first month’s rent kE| I
socials, a free video library and a
24-hour fitness center, said Cheryl
Davis, the apartment complex’s
relocation specialist.
Highland Hills Apartments in
Carrboro offers a game room and
guest suite, said Henry Jay,
Highland Hills’ marketing special
ist. “Our amenities are very popu
lar,” Jay said. “They are one of the
reasons people choose us over
someone else.”
In contrast, residents at
Chancellor Square apartments and
Mill Creek Condominiums can
expect new appliances and well
O’Connor said that the company is
essentially a “professional wing of
the UNC Department of Dramatic
Art.”
Play Makers offers a “great lab
for students to work and learn” at
the undergraduate and graduate
levels, she added.
The theater offers the low-cost
Incredible Student Pass for all five
shows of the season, or a patron
can come to see a show on Tuesday
Community Night, when all
admissions are $lO.
Company Carolina, a student
run theatre company, is another
option for students interested in
theatrical productions. The group
encourages all students to audition
and typically produces three shows
per year, including a musical.
For music lovers, a mix of a cap
pella groups exist on campus. The
Loreleis and the Clef Hangers are
two student-run ensembles, exclu
sively female and male, respec
tively.
Students might have heard Tar
Heel Voices while having a meal in
Lenoir Dining Hall. This coed a
cappella group was formed in 1988.
“(THV has) a tradition to build
off of,” said co-president Emily
Cook. “We stand on the shoulders
of past members.”
With their “special flavor,” the
group hopes to spread music
around campus.
Movie bulls will enjoy the Union
Film Series, which includes such
entertainment as “American
Splendor,” “Lost in Translation,”
and “The Philadelphia Story,”
shown in the Union Auditorium,
usually for free.
With a plethora of other enter-
DTH Housing Guide
appointed living spaces, said Adam
Jones, the owner of both complexes.
But many residents enjoy an
additional perk: proximity. “A lot of
our places are within a half-mile of
campus,” Jones said. “A lot of stu
dents like to walk or bike to classes.”
The impact of these extras
remains unknown to complex
owners, but their appeal to stu
dents is undeniable.
Jones said students comprise an
estimated 90 percent of residents
in Mill House Properties, the com
pany that oversees Mill Creek and
Chancellor Square.
Arts Around Campus
Pauper Players
Feb. 5-8,8 p.m.
Gerard Hall
"Broadway Melodies... a
musical review in three
parts"
Lab! Theatre
Feb. 6-10, times vary
Kenan Theatre
"Glengarry Glen Ross"
Play Makers
Feb. 28-March 31,
times vary
Center for Dramatic Art
"The Subject was Roses"
Chapel Hill Players
(CHiPs)
March 26,8 pm
Murphy 111
Improv Comedy Show
tainment options also present at
UNC, from Chapel Hill Players, a
student improv comedy group, to
chamber music and ballet hosted
by the Carolina Union Performing
Arts Series, there is something for
everyone.
Contact the ACSE Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
Apartment-style halls
come to UNC in 2006
BY MEGAN DAVIS
STAFF WRITER
Sophomore Patrick Elliot said
he might have reconsidered sign
ing a lease in December for off
campus housing had on-campus
apartment-style residences been
available to him.
Moving into a house on Green
Street next fall will force Elliot to
sacrifice the convenience of cam
pus life for a little independence,
but he said the benefits will be well
worth it
“Living on campus can definite
ly have its conveniences, but some
times you just want to have a big
place with better amenities,” Elliot
said. “You may be a little farther off
campus, but you’re more comfort
able.”
The UNC Buildings and
Grounds Committee approved
plans on Jan. 8 that could eventu
ally give students such as Elliot the
best of both worlds.
At the committee’s preliminary
design review, designers were given
the go-ahead to continue work on
the proposed $65.5 million apart
ment-style housing project on
South Campus, which is scheduled
for completion in fall 2006.
At its January 21 meeting, the
UNC Board of Trustees viewed
plans for the residence halls and
expressed approval of most aspects
of the project.
Residents regularly use the
amenities offered by The Villages,
Davis said. She estimated that 60
percent of residents consider the
extras important in deciding where
to live.
The popularity of different
amenities cycles with the seasons,
Jay said.
He cited the pool as one of the
most popular amenities in the
summer, but said the snow has
caused an increase in video-bor
rowing.
The diversity of amenities
reflects diversity among residents.
Housing;
j j^ation
Top Ten Reasons
To Live On Campus
J , Students who live on campus are more likely to interact
with professors outside of class, attend cultural events,
seek employment on campus, and participate in clubs
and organizations.
2. One check pays all -no separate cable or utility bills to pay.
3* Attend all the social and educational activities that you want.
4L Access campus facilities and services at your convenience.
There's no need to have a car when you live on campus.
0 # Enjoy the convenience of living close to your classes.
7* Access the campus network right from your room.
3* You have a lifetime to live off campus.
9t Walk to Franklin Street.
10. Make friends that you'll keep for a lifetime.
Housing Recontracting begins in March
http://housing.unc.edu
962-5406
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2004
But some members raised con
cern over the price of living in the
residence halls compared to apart
ments off-campus, which housing
officials promised to research in
the next couple months.
Attracting upperclassmen and
graduate students who would oth
erwise choose to live in an off-cam
pus apartment is a central goal of
the new residence halls, said
Christopher Payne, director of
housing and residential education.
The project initially was pro
posed for completion in 2005, but
design plans were halted in
November 2002 due to ongoing
construction in the area.
The apartment neighborhoods
will consist of five buildings in two
South Campus locations three
south of Craig Parking Deck and
two south of Hinton James
Residence Hall —with a capacity
0f960 students, if fully approved.
The design would accommodate
four students with two bathrooms,
a living area and a kitchen.
The apartments would be fur
nished in the same manner as
other residence halls are.
Bruce Runberg, associate vice
chancellor of planning and con
struction, stressed that there is still
a significant amount of work to be
done with the architectural design,
which is being handled by the
firms of Sasaki and Clark Nexsen.
Athletic residents can utilize play
ing fields and children can use a
playground at The Villages.
Other residents can enjoy the
video library or opportunities to
socialize, Davis said.
Students living in Mill House
Properties rarely use the pools or
decks, Jones said. Most are more
concerned with the availability of
appliances such as dishwashers
and microwaves.
“I think if you have a unit well
appointed, it makes it easier to
live,” he said.
Physical additions such as
Payne said he hopes this more
independent living facility might
lure academically focused students
to remain on campus in their final
years at UNC, becoming a positive
influence for underclassmen.
For Elliot, cost and cars are his
greatest concerns with the pro
posed apartment-style housing.
Payne said that pricing structures
for the apartment units haven’t
been determined, but it’s clear that
no special parking privileges will be
allotted to apartment residents.
Upon final approval for the
project in March, contractor bids
will be finalized in November and
construction is scheduled to begin
in December.
From there, the units will be
ready for occupancy by fall term
2006, Runberg said.
Students traveling through
South Campus can expect the typ
ical construction inconveniences
such as dust and noise, Payne said.
Current construction on family
style housing on Mason Farm
Road, which is scheduled for com
pletion in 2005, will convert Odom
Village to apartment-style housing
for UNC students one year before
the new sites. Odom Village is now
the site for graduate student fami
ly-style housing.
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
fireplaces to the rooms can
increase rent, but owners and
employees denied that amenities
cost residents extra money.
“I can’t really say whether prices
would go down,” Davis said.
Residents appreciate the ameni
ties, Jay said, helping complexes
remain competitive.
“That’s what makes it home,” he
said. “There are a lot of apartment
communities. Amenities will help
residents make that jump.”
Contact the University Editor
at udesk@unc.edu.
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