Development

KAITLYN STRATMAN/THE STANDARD HollandEdge is new housing built just off campus near Strong Hall.

Construction booms around campus

TINSLEY MERRIMAN Staff Reporter @merrimantinsley

Ground near the Missouri State University campus has been broken by various construction companies, each one striving to build new housing for students.

A notable example is the new dorm Holland House on the Southwest corner of Holland and Madison Street behind Strong Hall. According to the MSU Planning, Design and Construction website, Branco Enterprises, Inc. were contracted to build the $2.75 million dollar residence hall. It will include a parking garage, full service kitchen, dining facility and small retailer.

The MSU website reports the scheduled completion date is expected to be June 27, 2020. According to a weekly project update, as of Jan. 31, 2020, the sixth floor of the dorm is being framed and the dining hall is still being coordinated on for building permits.

While contracted by a third party, the new dorms are still tied to MSU. For students looking for complete independence from university bills, a stone’s throw from Holland House is the newly constructed HollandEdge building. Located at the intersection of South Holland Avenue and East Grand Street, HollandEdge was opened in December of 2019. While designed by hdesigngroup, it is owned by the Magers Management Company. Other properties leased by MMC near campus include WestEdge, MadisonVue and The M @ 414. Bryon Oster, associate designer for hdesigngroup, said the previous apartment complex was demolished and HollandEdge erected in its place. He also gave the rent price and amenities for the fully furnished complex.

“The building is comprised of efficient micro studio units that are fully furnished,” Oster said. “Units include contemporary furniture, kitchenettes with modern appliances, highspeed internet, a smart TV, washer and dryer, full-size bed, private patio and a parking space. Units lease for $725 per month.”

MMC leases commercial buildings across the Springfield area, but according to their website, all MSU apartments are located west of campus. All apartment complexes are close enough to walk “in most cases.” All available Magers Management properties are shown on their website.

The MMC apartments portion of the website provides reassurance to parents of students, listing benefits of their apartment complexes and why students should choose to live there. “Our student housing apartments are designed with safety, location, and affordability in mind,” MMC’s website said. “In our unrelenting commitment to MSU students, we give your student the college experience they want and the academic environment they need to succeed.”

HollandEdge is already available for leasing for the fall 2020 semester. To make a reservation, dial (417)-831-6207. Holland House is unavailable to register for the 2020-2021 semester as of the time of this article.

VICTORIA SCROGGINS Staff Reporter @vs12591

Missouri State University offers two different apartment complexes, Monroe and Sun- villa Tower. The requirements to lease an apartment are the same for both buildings.

“You have to have 30 or more MSU credit hours com- pleted,” Resident Assistant, Camdyn Anders said. “You also have to be enrolled in a certain number of credit hours while you’re living in an apartment.” Six credit hours are re- quired for full-time enrollment during the summer.

The website said for fall 2020 and beyond, applicants must complete 27 credit hours instead of 30 as of Aug. 17, 2020.

Because of the credit hour requirement, on-campus apart- ments are only offered to upperclassmen and returning students. The Residence Life and Housing Brochure states Res- idence Life requires a 10-month housing contract for students who wish to live there. “Residents of legal drinking age are permitted to have and consume alcohol responsibly,” the website said.

The Monroe apartments house 100+ students, while the Sunvilla Tower apartments house 225+ students.

The Residence Life website said meal plans are offered but not required.

Students who have com- pleted the credit hour require- ment are also permitted to live off-campus. There are numer- ous apartment complexes close to campus that are not considered to be on-campus living.

A popular off-campus apartment complex is Bear Village. Leasing and marketing manager, Anthony Klier, said, “98% of the people who live here are MSU students.”

“We only offer full year leases that go from August to July,” Klier continued. “Movein day is usually Aug. 8 and move-out day is July 31.” freeimages.com/shho Leasing your first apartment is a big step towards independence during college, but comes with big responsibilities too. Knowing the details of your lease is essential to becoming a responsible tenant.

Some questions to ask before signing your lease: •What are the lease terms? How long are you agreeing to live in this unit? •What are the consequences for breaking the lease early? •Do you need renters’ insurance? •Can you burn candles, grill outside or use nails in the walls? Personalizing a space may be important to some, but some landlords limit how much decorating can be done in an apartment or rented home. •Does your complex or landlord for rental homes have a process in requesting maintenance to be done? •What is the pet policy?

The requirements to live in Bear Village are less strict than those of the on-campus apart- ment buildings.

“As long as rent is paid on time and there are no com- plaints, you can live here,” Klier said. “We are a smokefree property so smoking in the rooms is not allowed.”

Bear Village also runs back- ground and credit checks on applicants before they lease apartments.

“Residents must have a guarantor (co-signer) that makes at least three times the monthly rent,” Klier said. “If a resident makes three times, they can pay the standard deposit and aren’t required to get a guarantor.”

The standard deposit for Bear Village is $500. If a res- ident doesn’t have a guaran- tor, they have to pay a depos- it of $800.

“We do not have resident advisors like dorms on every floor, but we do have a resi- dent director in the front office that is here 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday,” Kli- er said. “We also have three other full-time office employ- ees along with a team of parttime community assistants and a housekeeping and mainte- nance team.”

SCOTT CAMPBELL Staff Reporter @ScottCa81380794

The price usually matters most when choosing a living arrangement, but paying attention to the finer details can end up having a big impact on your daily routine, your style and even your mental health.

The office of Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services gives detailed price breakdowns on every dormitory and apartment complex on campus, which can be found at Missouri State’s website.

The website includes exact layouts, amenities and locations. For example, a student living in a four person apartment in Sunvilla Tower would pay $2,690 for one semester. If this student chose a 19-meals-per-week dining plan, they would pay an additional $1,161 for the semester, which comes out to approximately $3.59 per meal if a student eats every meal they’ve paid for.

An interesting trend seen in student GPAs. Data provided by the Reslife office shows that by student class average, GPAs are at least .25 higher for on-campus students compared to off-campus students of the same year. Contributing factors may be proximity to the library, living among students of the same major or having a lesser transit time between

home and classes.

Dining services are provided by Chartwells, a private company that works with the university by contract. This means their financial breakdowns are not available through the university’s website. Campus dining services include staff wages and building costs in their prices but also benefit from producing large-scale.

The Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services department generally operates as a separate financial entity within the university, but there are overlapping accounts. According to estimates

File photo by JAYLEN EARLY/THE STANDARD

received from the department, $1.8 million goes into utilities, $1.2 million goes towards custodial services and $1 million goes to ResNet. Note that all of these would not be included in rent in most off-campus apartments.

Other expenses that do not directly affect residents come from the department’s budget, including: $1.5 million for employee fringe benefits, $332,991 towards payment of debts and $5 million towards regular university operating costs.

Details for off-campus living such as

apartments and house rentals are more difficult to find with consistency. Contract prices given by property managers vary depending on the season, the length of the contract and renewal incentives. This makes them much less uniform than on-campus fees. Two off-campus students may have almost identical contracts with the same company but different rent prices solely because of negotiations.

The first easy mistake can be made by forgetting that most apartment contracts are by year while on-campus living goes by semester. Private property managers usually allow contracts with 9-month durations, but at higher rent. Think like a business – every month that an apartment is vacant, that’s lost money for the company. It’s much harder to fill a 3-month gap than it is go by 12-month contracts, so the compensation usually comes out of rental rates.

Some living arrangements are more subjective and difficult to quantify. Consider that your walking distance to class or to the gym may affect your motivation for success, and the difference could matter more during the winter months. Living arrangements also largely determine who you spend your time with and affect your social life. When balancing your options, consider what matters most to you and then compare prices.

KATE BROWN/THE STANDARD Residence Life offices are located in Hammons House.

RAs help students adjust to college

KATHRYN DOLAN Staff Reporter @kathryndolan98

Resident assistants help students adjust to the residence hall as well as the social and academic challenges of college.

RAs strive to develop a sense of community among the residents on their floor by hosting events and one-on-one meetings with students. RAs serve as positive role models to residents while enforcing university rules and policies.

Jonathan Petesch, a junior communications major, has been an RA for two years in Woods House.

“When I wake up in the morning, I have no idea what the day is going to look like,” Petesch said.

Petesch said a big part of the RA position is being open and available on the floor for residents.

“I’m on-call probably about once a week, but I’ve done it up to four days in a week,” Petesch said.

When an RA is on-call, they must stay in their residence hall, only leaving to eat somewhere on campus.

Last on the agenda for Petesch is the completion of rounds, an evening building inspection to make sure students are safe and the building is secure; this is also the time in which RAs enforce policies like quiet hours.

Petech said while working can often be inconvenient when it comes to being social, the job has made him familiar with on-campus resources which help him get more involved. Petesch said time-consuming obligations will often come up that consume his whole evening. “Sometimes the job can throw a wrench in some of your plans when you’re trying to go out for the night or trying to spend some time away from the building,” Petesch said.

Petesch said as time went on he got used to this and planned his evenings more strategically. He said the inconveniences are worth it after seeing students benefit from his labor.

“I have around 40 residents, each one is unique, each one has their own struggles,” Petesch said. Petesch said he sees the direct impact he’s had on his residents’ lives.

“It’s really rewarding whenever you go and help those residents and give them the support that they need and see them progressively changing and improving,” he said.

Alex Webber, sophomore computer science major, is an RA in the Fruedenburger house. Webber said most of his friends are resident assistants.

“The Freddy staff is really close, they’re all great. We get along well,” Webber said.

Webber said students often seem to think that resident assistants exist to get students in trouble, which he said is not true.

“This can make things awkward when trying to hang out with new people,” Webber said. “Sometimes people won’t be up front with you when they know you’re an RA.”

Webber said little signs of acknowledgement can go a long way when it comes to residents interacting with their RA.

“Even if it’s just a resident seeing me in the hall and saying hi — it feels really good,” Webber said. Webber said overall he is satisfied with what he does for students and the university and plans to be an RA next year.

Full disclosure: Jonathan Petesch is a former columnist for The Standard.