New Apartment Housing for University of the Cumberlands

                       

                                              

An aerial look of the beautiful University of the Cumberlands campus. Photo Credits: University of the Cumberlands

University of the Cumberlands undergraduate students have the opportunity to gain graduate housing beginning this semester to combat low housing availability on campus. With the newly enforced tuition cut and the idea that books rented at the campus bookstore starting next fall will become free of charge, there is the potential for even more freshmen and transfer students to apply and attend the Univeristy of the Cumberlands. The spike of incoming students that are living on campus brings up the problem of how to house those students. Their current housing options can be found on their page here. Although, one of the ideas to solve this problem of low housing is to start putting undergraduate students in the graduate apartments on and off of campus this year. 

The former graduate apartments were originally intended for graduates who were taking their masters with the Cumberlands and additionally were working on campus. Most of these apartments were new and have been well kept up over the years or they are currently being renovated. This year the undergraduate students staying in what were the graduate apartments would serve as “tester” students to see whether or not the idea would be a reasonable option for the future. One of the students, Michaela McDonald, currently living in a new apartment said, “I’m glad that they decided to open up the graduate apartments, because it makes the Cumberlands campus feel more like a home away from home.” Here is a page from Union College’s website where they already have apartments as student housing, and this can be a good source for comparison.  

            According to Karlie Joseph, the assistant director for residence life, if everything goes according to plan, the apartments could be a viable option for upperclassmen living on campus who have proven to be trustworthy and are in good academic standing. To show how much of an upgrade the apartments will be, a standard apartment on Cumberland Avenue will consist of an upstairs that contains two rooms for four students, a downstairs furnished living room, a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, a pantry, and it comes with 1 ½ baths. Another great feature about these apartments are that they also come with a patio.  Samantha Rayburn, a senior currently living in the apartments added, “I like the freedom of having my own apartment and being able to have a washing machine and a dryer just for those living in the apartment.” In addition, students who gain apartment housing will also receive residence parking passes. 

University of the Cumberlands students walk passed the dorms on Main Street. Photo Credits: University of the Cumberlands

Coach Strebeck, the archery coach for the college who also has athletes staying in the apartments, mentioned, “I believe that the apartments are a good opportunity for upperclassmen to experience living on their own before they graduate.” The college has released various pieces of exciting information to students in the past two years and this should only add to the excitement next year. This opportunity is not just one that will make students feel like they are appreciated by the University, but this will also act as a reward for those students who have proven that they are hard workers and are willing to make their year on campus successful.