Family Housing: Advantages and Disadvantages Balance Out

Staff Writer

Photo by Indra Kriner

"Cramped" Apartment -  Some residents of on-campus Family Housing describe the apartments as being short on storage space. Residents must furnish all furniture and appliances for the apartments.

   “It kinda balances out.”

   That's how sophomore music education major Andrew Hackett summed up the advantages and disadvantages of living in on-campus Family Housing.

   Hackett and his wife Mysti said they appreciate the affordability, as well as the security. A public safety officer drives through “at least once an hour,” he said.

   The units are far from perfect, however.

   Common complaints include lack of storage and living space, inadequate temperature control and an array of pests--everything from roaches to scorpions to wasps and spiders. Mysti Hackett even found a black widow.

   The University offers one-bedroom apartments to married couples with or without children and to single parents. Residents pay $200 per month rent and pay for their own gas and electricity. The decades-old apartments come unfurnished, and residents must provide their own refrigerator, stove and air-conditioners if they want them.

   In contrast, the University of Central Arkansas provides several options for families, offering one- and two-bedroom facilities in three different buildings with appliances already installed and with central heat and air. Rent ranges from $435 to $515 per month.

   On the other hand, the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has numerous housing options for traditional students, but none for families.

   Residents typically describe the apartments as “cramped,” as a lack of living space creates discomfort for some.  Being short on storage space also poses a problem.

   “We have so much clutter everywhere because there's nowhere to put stuff,” Mysti Hackett said.  A second bedroom, she said, would help.

   A 2008 University of Arkansas at Monticello graduate and wife of senior nursing major Tyler Chambers, Holly Chambers agreed.

   “I think it would be good if they combined two apartments,” she said.

   The Hackett family has space problems as well.

   “If there's going to be a parent and child living in Family Housing, they need to have a family space, not a dorm,” Andrew Hackett said. “This is not 'family housing.' It's a dorm for families.”

   Resident director of Maxwell Hall, University Apartments, and Family Housing, Lewis Minnie, seemed unimpressed by space complaints.

   “I really don't get that,” Minnie said, adding that excessive clutter warrants judicial action in the form of a noncompliance ticket from public safety should residents fail to heed warnings to tidy up.

   As for pest complaints, Minnie said that he accompanies pest control during their monthly visit, and residents should speak up if they continue to notice problems.

   Some problems, however, seem to go much deeper.

   “I think they should tear them all down and rebuild,” said Andrew Hackett. A carpenter's son, he cited old, rotting wood and roofing that would soon need replacement.

   “This wood is probably 60 years old,” he said, “I don't want to know what's on the other side of that. It's probably terrible.”

   Minnie said that upgrades for all residence halls, including family housing, will be completed over time.

   Despite its warts, many hopeful residents wait patiently for an opening in the facility.

   “There's definitely a waiting list,” Minnie said. “A binder.” At the time of this writing, 10 families wait for someone to graduate, leave school, or find other living arrangements.

   “I think the advantage is it gives families a cheaper option than living in off-campus apartments,” Minnie said, adding there were no such facilities at his former university, and even married couples living on campus had to live in separate all-male and all-female dormitories.

   While there are occasional complaints, the residents seem happy for the affordability, convenience of living a minute or two from classes, and low, financial aid-billable rent.

   “I am thankful for the opportunity to live here,” Andrew Hackett said. Despite complaints, he said, “I can go to school and still afford to provide for my family.”

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