Odum spots slow to fill up

The 150 undergraduates who toured the Odum Village residential apartments last November were given the first shot Tuesday to reserve spaces for fall semester.

But only 20 took advantage of their priority status. Rick Bradley, spokesman for the Department of Housing and Residential Education, said officials were hoping for five times that number.

“(Tuesday) was disappointing,” he said.

On Wednesday, any undergraduate student living on campus was allowed to recontract for a fall spot in Odum Village.

Bradley said 80 students reserved housing in Odum Village that day, bringing the total to 100 students and 50 reserved apartments.

When campuswide recontracting opens at the end of March, 175 apartments will be up for grabs.

Two students sharing a bedroom each will pay between $2,150 and $2,200 per semester. Students will pay $2,950 to $3,000 per semester to have a private bedroom. Those rates include furniture, utilities, wireless Internet, basic cable and local telephone service.

Bradley said he expects Odum Village to be filled by the fall because any open spaces will be available to transfer students and then to graduate students.

Students who received recontracting priorities by attending the November tours but who chose not to said the cost was the main deterrent.

“I really think that the price had a lot to do with it,” said freshman biology major Tera Batts. “I thought it was too much for what they were giving.”

She also said that she had wished the official price ranges were released in November so she could discuss finances with her family. The housing department released price ranges about two weeks ago, Bradley said.

Natasha Adams, a junior from Gastonia, also said she found apartments off campus for cheaper rates and was not willing to pay more to live in Odum Village, given its location south of UNC Hospitals.

“I could either live off campus and take a bus or live on campus and take a bus,” she said in reference to Odum Village.

Bradley said he was surprised by the relatively small number of spots reserved Tuesday and Wednesday because students have responded favorably to the possibility of on-campus apartments.

“It was a combination of factors: (students) not understanding the value of an all-inclusive rate, location, price and parking,” Bradley said. “They look at rent off campus and compare it to our rent but don’t factor in the cost of utilities.”

He said Chapel Hill Transit and UNC’s Department of Public Safety have planned bus routes to accommodate the new Odum Village residents.

“I think that information has been put out to students, about transportation in particular, but there is so much information being put out on campus that some may not hear that information.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.