JULIANA STUMPP
STAFF WRITER

The Quad university housing will be completed this summer, ready for students to move in fall 2012. While the university is in the thick of promoting The Quad, some students feel it is an overpriced housing option.

The Quad consists of three living arrangements with four to eight people in each unit. The cheapest room is the arrangement of eight people, two people per room, starting at $800 per month. The six-person room’s rate is $825. The most expensive is a private room for $900 per month.

Even with recent cutbacks on prices, students feel living at The Quad is a rip-off. John Caiozzo, a freshman currently living in the University Village Apartments (UVA), said, “I will be living in the UVA. The Quad is ridiculously expensive and farther from campus. I like how close [the UVA] is to campus. It takes 10-15 minutes to walk to most of my classes.”

At the UVA, a private room is $900 as well. The difference between the UVA and The Quad is that the private rooms in UVA are in a six-person unit, whereas The Quad offers private rooms in a four-person unit. The cheapest arrangement at the UVA is $665 while The Quad’s four-person unit is $850 and you would share a roommate.

Fall 2012 will also mark the beginning of a live-on-campus requirement for first time freshman not from the local area; they will be required to live in university housing.

Together the UVA and The Quad will have living arrangement options for the upcoming year allowing students to live on themed floors that are suitable for them. Options include co-ed apartment, transfer/graduate hall, substance free hall and women’s hall.

Caiozzo said, “The co-ed apartments sound interesting. I’m sure cleaning up after guys who are dirty roommates will drive some girls crazy.”

Ariel Plaza, a dorm resident, said, “I love all the options that we residents will have. I really hope that more and more floor themes will be made.”

Both living units come with similar features and amenities such as lounges, laundry rooms, game rooms, pool, study spaces, workout centers, community grills, maintenance services and picnic areas.

Overall, many students decide to live off campus because of the cost of UVA; they figure the rent is cheaper elsewhere.

However, rent for the UVA and The Quad include fully furnished living area, full kitchen utilities, cable, community Wi-Fi, and private/ shared furnished bedrooms with bathrooms. In The Quad, a new feature will be a flat screen television in each unit.

Plaza said, “I love the community aspect of the dorms. The people here are so great, and the events make living here so much more fun.”

The applications for The Quad are currently open and have a rolling deadline.