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31 minutes ago, DavieNative said:

Classic style dorms, such as Moore and Sanford have small rooms for two people, shared bathrooms and community areas. They force college kids out of their rooms and generally lead to good community and close friendships. Whoever has been building dorms at UNCC for the past 20 years hasn't had a grasp on this concept that is common on most college campuses. I think these fancy suites and apartments at UNCC have actually lead to less community and less school involvement even though more kids are on campus at UNCC than at other big state schools such as Appalachian State that have thriving, healthy, and involved student bodies.

New dorms on college campuses all around the country are built like this.  It's not a Charlotte specific thing.

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No one wants to have to share their bathroom with 20 other people even if it helps make it a better community. Suite or apartment style are the only dorms being built anywhere in the nation. 

There are still plenty of community areas, they're just not making the bathrooms one of them. It's college, not prison.

Edited by Nick2
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This is one of those debates that housing professionals have had over the past many years.  Almost all housing personnel believe that the traditional "dorm" style hall is the best way to build community and that residents tend to feel more connected living there.  If this belief and cost were the only factors in the decision then that's all that would be built. 

That said, these do no good if students won't live in them.  Schools that do not have a live-on requirement and are not the most prestigious in the country have to build the style buildings that students are asking for (not what they probably need).  With all of the new apartment complexes built around campuses that have private bedrooms, private bathrooms, fitness centers, swimming pools, etc., usually at a lower cost (because of construction standards) than what's built on campus, college housing offices have to build the buildings that can compete for the business.  That's the only way to get students to live on campus in many cases.

However, as I stated before, the new building at UNCC will be built as a replacement for Sanford and Moore.  It will include only traditional double bedrooms and community-style bathrooms, and be at a lower price point than many of the suite and apartment buildings on campus.  It will maintain the community feel that those buildings had but will have slightly larger bedrooms, more light, higher ceilings, better bathroom layouts, more community space, etc.

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8 hours ago, Nick2 said:

No one wants to have to share their bathroom with 20 other people even if it helps make it a better community. Suite or apartment style are the only dorms being built anywhere in the nation. 

There are still plenty of community areas, they're just not making the bathrooms one of them. It's college, not prison.

Of course nobody wants to share a bathroom with 20 other people when they can share with 4 or 8 people.  But nobody also seems to want to repay massive student loans.  

The difference between going to UNCC while living at home and staying on campus for 4 years is $79,560.38 to $133,007.65 with loans and a 10 year repayment schedule.  That's a $53,477 swing.    Extend that out to a 25 year repayment schedule and it's $119,960.73 to $200,547.33.  That's an $80.586 swing....or a down payment on a house.   Trying to move the dial back or at least keep it locked in is not a bad thing IMHO.  

Just because every other school is competing in an arms race to build and then charge students for luxury items that are not needed does not mean it's a good idea.  High debt is a prison by the way and it's a lot longer than 4 years in a dorm with shared bathrooms....

Edited by cjd5050
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On 4/8/2018 at 11:27 PM, DavieNative said:

Classic style dorms, such as Moore and Sanford have small rooms for two people, shared bathrooms and community areas. They force college kids out of their rooms and generally lead to good community and close friendships. Whoever has been building dorms at UNCC for the past 20 years hasn't had a grasp on this concept that is common on most college campuses. I think these fancy suites and apartments at UNCC have actually lead to less community and less school involvement even though more kids are on campus at UNCC than at other big state schools such as Appalachian State that have thriving, healthy, and involved student bodies.

I think there can be a happy medium, as I have lived on both extremes. Year one I lived in the high rises, like I said, Moore Hall, the next year I decided (as I had made friends outside of my dorm) that I would just get a single room suite, think a studio with no kitchen (there are also studio style ones with a kitchen, and I think they just nudge over the 5,000 dollar per SEMESTER price tag.) Freshman year, me and my roommate did not always get along, we didn't hate eachother, but we certainly weren't the best of friends, and his schedule would often have him coming home late, and waking me out of my light sleep. And at the time I wasn't the social butterfly that I am today, so aside from a few guys I really didn't meet many people who I still talk to today (and I never once met a new friend in the communal bathrooms) However being in this "community" environment afforded me very little time to be truly alone,  which I do credit for getting me out and meeting new people, or at least engaging in solo activities but rather outdoors or in the Student Union. 

The second year, being in a room to myself in Miltimore Hall was incredibly lonely, I noticed myself becoming more reclusive, and long story short, some friend's I'd thought were loyal, turned out not to be. For a student with depression or anxiety, especially in winter, being along in a dorm room is one of the worst things for you. After that year I moved off campus and lived my last two years in a four bedroom student apartment just off campus, and I was much happier. I still had my own bedroom and bathroom, but I had a common area I shared with four great roommates, two of which are still my friends today. Even now I still live with a good friend of mine in a two bedroom apartment, and though I may return to the bachelor life for a time, it honestly wouldn't be far fetched for me to live with a roommate until perhaps I have a serious girlfriend or even are married. 

This post is a bit rambling, but I guess my point is that the old fashioned dorms aren't "necessary" for building community, but having them as an option would certainly help over more isolated housing setups. I personally think the four bedroom suite (no kitchen) or apartment style are the most cohesive, two bedrooms are typically shared by friends, and I've noticed those students tend to stay in their bubble, and three bedroom units usually leave one person out. I'm probably overanalyzing, but having a variety of housing options is important, and losing Moore and Sanford eliminates the only "traditional" dorms left on campus, and while many universities have a variety of housing options as well, I have never been to a campus without at least SOME of those two people, one room style dorms. 

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5 hours ago, nakers2 said:

I think there can be a happy medium, as I have lived on both extremes. Year one I lived in the high rises, like I said, Moore Hall, the next year I decided (as I had made friends outside of my dorm) that I would just get a single room suite, think a studio with no kitchen (there are also studio style ones with a kitchen, and I think they just nudge over the 5,000 dollar per SEMESTER price tag.) Freshman year, me and my roommate did not always get along, we didn't hate eachother, but we certainly weren't the best of friends, and his schedule would often have him coming home late, and waking me out of my light sleep. And at the time I wasn't the social butterfly that I am today, so aside from a few guys I really didn't meet many people who I still talk to today (and I never once met a new friend in the communal bathrooms) However being in this "community" environment afforded me very little time to be truly alone,  which I do credit for getting me out and meeting new people, or at least engaging in solo activities but rather outdoors or in the Student Union. 

The second year, being in a room to myself in Miltimore Hall was incredibly lonely, I noticed myself becoming more reclusive, and long story short, some friend's I'd thought were loyal, turned out not to be. For a student with depression or anxiety, especially in winter, being along in a dorm room is one of the worst things for you. After that year I moved off campus and lived my last two years in a four bedroom student apartment just off campus, and I was much happier. I still had my own bedroom and bathroom, but I had a common area I shared with four great roommates, two of which are still my friends today. Even now I still live with a good friend of mine in a two bedroom apartment, and though I may return to the bachelor life for a time, it honestly wouldn't be far fetched for me to live with a roommate until perhaps I have a serious girlfriend or even are married. 

This post is a bit rambling, but I guess my point is that the old fashioned dorms aren't "necessary" for building community, but having them as an option would certainly help over more isolated housing setups. I personally think the four bedroom suite (no kitchen) or apartment style are the most cohesive, two bedrooms are typically shared by friends, and I've noticed those students tend to stay in their bubble, and three bedroom units usually leave one person out. I'm probably overanalyzing, but having a variety of housing options is important, and losing Moore and Sanford eliminates the only "traditional" dorms left on campus, and while many universities have a variety of housing options as well, I have never been to a campus without at least SOME of those two people, one room style dorms. 

Wow - great post.  I'm sorry your second year was so tough...

Again - I will reiterate that the new building will still be traditional doubles.  There will be over 700 beds in that building.  Scott is still going to be all double rooms with community baths, and Holshouser is a hybrid.  So there will be over 1400 traditional, double beds on campus still.

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I'll be the odd man out and say: I hated living in a dorm with a shared bathroom (at Chapel Hill, not Charlotte, but still). I was lucky enough for my first three years that I had a close friend I roomed with. Fourth year, not so much, and I didn't like my "luck of the draw" roommate at all. It was really taxing, as an introvert, to never have a moment where I could just sit down and be by myself, comfortably. If I'd had more money I would've paid for a single in a heartbeat, and if I went now I'd probably at least try to get a dorm with one bathroom per two rooms instead of four (as it was in my dorms).

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On 4/13/2018 at 7:16 PM, Cadi40 said:

Is it official that they are building a Medical school in Charlotte? I’m a little behind but I’m looking for a good Med School and if they built one here that would be spectacular.

No medical school. Phil Dubois doesn't want to rock the boat. Chapel Hill was planning to put a school here and Chapel Hill Phil was all to eager to bend over and be happy about working with them rather than trying to get a real medical school here for UNC Charlotte. Plans for the UNC Chapel Hill medical school have fallen apart with the creation of Atrium Health though, I believe.

 

Novant's CEO has for years wanted to partner with CHS and UNC Charlotte to create a full medical school in this city, but CHS wanted no part of it.

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My third son starts next semester as a Junior, my second as a Senior and my first just graduated.  In those few years sine the first started, the campus has improved significantly.  My daughter is 18 months from transferring in as a Junior.  My youngest is 4 years away.  Can't imagine how nice this campus will be then.  Having said all that, I really hope Charlotte gets behind this school.  It has served our family well but the academic limitations are holding our city back.  We will not reach our potential without significantly improving the quality of education and programs at UNCC.  

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Having the conference and meeting space will be huge for the University.  Will also open up more options for out of town visitors on game days, graduations, and helps connect UNCC's Uptown building.  Looks like it will have a direct connection to the light rail ped-bridge which is pretty cool!  It looks a little hospital-y to me...but the amount of brick doesn't surprise me bc that's UNCC's MO and that look will be seamless with the rest of the campus.  Overall, I think that full-service Marriot being right on campus/light rail is a great addition!

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