2015 Living Guide

Living guideTHE DAILY ATHENAEUM’S 2016

“I wish I knew what it was like to live with other people.” —Kathryn Kerner

Senior Accounting Student

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM Wednesday November 18, 20152 | LIVING GUIDE

We asked you:What do you wish you knew before

moving off campus?

“I wish I knew more about the leasing process, and how to know exactly what I was getting into.”

“I wish I knew how hard getting downtown is with traffic in the mornings.”

“I wish I knew that the traffic sucks when you live off campus.”

“I’m from a big city, so I’m used to heavy traffic, but I wish I knew about the road conditions.”

“You’re just not aware of different prices around. You only know the prices of what’s popular.”

“I wish I knew how hard parking downtown is.”

—Callie Anderson Sophomore Business Management Student

—Drew LesterSophomore Wildlife and Fisheries Student

—Casey Gentile Sophomore Journalism Student

—Eric George Human Nutrition Student

—Jordan SekingerJunior Chemistry Student

—Justin Asch Sophomore Exercise Physiology Student

“I wish I knew how expensive it was to eat. When you live on campus, you have a meal plan. Now, food is my biggest expense.”

—Kayla HeggieSophomore pre-pharmacy student

“There’re other options other than what’s commonly known. I wish there was more advertising or marketing for other places.”

—Makayla Raby Junior Forensics Student

“I wish I knew how inconvenient it could be at times (to live off-campus).”

—Thomas HalloranSophomore Business Student

THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 LIVING GUIDE | 3

The Domain at Town Centre offers luxury and affordabilityBy RaChel MCBRiDe

Staff Writer @Dailyathenaeum

The Domain at Town Centre prides itself on be-ing “the newest and most luxurious student hous-ing community serving West Virginia University students.”

The Domain is located in the University Town Centre, just minutes away from the Evansdale cam-pus and a short drive to downtown Morgantown. The apartment complex is also near a movie the-ater, Target, Walmart, Gi-ant Eagle and a number of

restaurants. Amenities for The Do-

main include, but are not limited to, fully fur-nished apartments, stain-less steel appliances, a flat screen TV in every living room, a resort-style pool and free WiFi Internet ac-cess. The complex is pet friendly.

T h e c o m p l e x o f -fers one, two, three a n d f o u r b e d ro o m apartments.

One bedroom apart-ments start at $1,006 per month ; two bedroom apartments start at $655 per month; three bed-room apartments start at $593 per month; and four bedroom apart-ments start at $560 per month, according to their website.

The Domain rent rates include all utilities, ex-cept electricity. This rate

includes fees for wa-ter, sewage, trash, Inter-net and cable TV with HBO.

“I love the view of the

city that I have and all the amenities that are avail-able to me,” said Jac-queline Braham, a cur-rent resident at The

Domain. “I also really love the bus system. It makes getting to class so easy.”

For more information

on The Domain, visit : http://www.domainmor-gantown.com/.

[email protected]

KYLE MONROE/THE DAILY ATHENAEUMThe Domain at Town Centre.

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 living edition | 5

The Ridge provides all-inclusive, off-campus housingby Rachel mcbRide

Staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Campus Park at The Ridge provides an all-in-clusive student hous-i n g e x p e r i e n c e i n Morgantown, West Vir-ginia, according to its website.

In addition to fully fur-nished units and free Wi-Fi, residents have ame-nities such as a Mac computer lab, outdoor kitchen, late night shut-tle service and a brand new 24-hour f i tness center.

The Ridge offers three and four bedroom apart-ments. The price for a standard three bedroom, three bathroom apartment starting August 2016 is $509 per room, per apart-ment, $399 for a standard four bedroom, four bath-

room and $425 for a de-luxe four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment.

D eluxe apar tments are bigger with a din-ing area and more pri-vate entries into each bedroom.

All utilities are included in the rent price per room.

“I don’t like living here because I feel like it’s so far away from my classes,” said Delilah Ruebush, a Ridge resident this se-mester. “There’s only

one bus, and it takes forever.”

Former resident, Chris-tianna Shaffer lived at The Ridge for two years and had renewed her lease for a third year. After experi-encing some dishearten-

ing situations, however, she decided to leave the complex.

“The amenities and rent (were) great... That’s why we (originally) chose to live there,” she said. “(But) they did not take into ac-

count who they paired up to live with each other... It was a terrible experience.”

For more information on The Ridge, visit: http://ridgewv.com/.

[email protected]

ridgewv.comCampus Park at The Ridge

THE DAILY ATHENAEUM Wednesday November 18, 20156 | LIVING EDITION

WVU to host off-campus housing fair today

by rachel mcbridestaff writer

@dailyathenaeum

West Run is an apart-ment complex just a short drive away from both the Downtown and Evansdale campuses.

Amenities for West Run in-clude, but are not limited to, a private balcony and patio for all units, walk-in closets, a pool, hot tub, clubhouse, free Wi-Fi and access to a Moun-tain Line Transit stop.

West Run apartments offer two, three and four-bedroom apartments. Prices for West Run are based per room per apartment.

This coming August, prices for a standard two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment starts at $610. The price of rent for a standard three-bed-room, three-bathroom apart-ment is $490, and the price of rent for a standard four bed-room, four bathroom apart-ment is $455.

Premium apartment prices range from $645 for a two bedroom apartment, $525 for a three bedroom apartment and $490 for a four bedroom apartment. Premium apartments offer more space for each resident.

“I like it because it’s away from the downtown area,” said Maddy Beardsley, a cur-rent resident at West Run. “It’s

quieter up here.”Current resident Jake Del-

aney also enjoys his experi-ences at West Run.

“I like living here,” he said, “but the maintenance is ab-solutely terrible.”

For more information on West Run, visit: http://westrunapartments.com/.

[email protected]

by Tessa iglesiasCorrespondent

@dailyathenaeum

On Wednesday in the Mountainlair Ballrooms, West Virginia University will hold an off-campus hous-ing fair for students looking for prospective places to

live for the upcoming 2016-17 school year.

The event, which will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., will provide students with an opportunity to ex-plore the off-campus op-tions Morgantown has to offer.

“We’ll have large cor-

porate-owned apartment complexes coming, like West Run Apartments, Campus evolution villages, The Domain at Town Center and still others,” said Brian Walker, off-campus hous-ing director at WVU. “We’ll also have some downtown campus landlords, such as

Giuliani Properties, Wincor Properties and Mountain-eer place. And the Univer-sity Apartments offerings will also have tables at the fair, like University Place, University Park, Vandalia and College Park.”

In addition to landlords, there will be a table for State Farm insurance, as well as a display on renters insur-ance. Walker said it’s im-portant for students to have insurance.

“If something happens to your property while you’re living off campus—let’s say that there’s a fire, or we have a flood, or if somebody breaks in and steals your belongings—the landlords are not responsible for re-placing them,” Walker said

There will also be a ta-ble from Student Legal Ser-vices where representatives will be available to answer

questions about leases or can look over the sample leases some landlords may bring to the fair.

“I thought the off-cam-pus housing fair was help-ful because the people there were very friendly, and I got lots of free stuff. There was so much information avail-able about housing, and it really helped me with de-ciding where I wanted to live for the following year,” said Julia Copenhaver, a ju-nior at WVU, recalling her experience with the off-campus housing fair her freshman year.

Students often come out of the housing fair loaded with giveaways from land-lords, which can make the housing fair a fun opportu-nity, as well as an enlight-ening one.

Walker said students should attend the off-cam-

pus housing fair because it can be informative about the many options students have for housing.

Simply googling “Mor-gantown student housing” will only lead to landlords with big marketing budgets and large staffs, accord-ing to Walker, but there are many more landlords in the area than just that.

“We have 1300 (land-lords) in the area,” Walker said. “That’s a lot to pick from, but a lot of stu-dents don’t know about them.”

The off-campus hous-ing fair will be available to answer any questions or concerns, while arm-ing students with the infor-mation needed to make an informed decision about signing a lease.

[email protected]

nick golden/the daily athenaeumWest Run Apartments.

West Run gets mixed reviews

THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 living guide | 7

WVU students have access to Student Legal Services

By Jordan MillerStaff Writer

@Dailyathenaeum

For the legal aspects of housing on or off-cam-pus, West Virginia Uni-versity students have ac-cess to Student Legal Services, which provides advice and representa-tion to all enrolled who have paid their student fees.

SLS will take on every-thing involving housing, from lease reviews to re-claiming security de-posits, in an attempt to keep Morgantown land-lords accountable for how they treat their tenants.

“We really truly do find that when students are educated about an issue, it changes the way they handle the problem,” said Carrie Showalter, man-aging attorney for SLS. “… When students come in for a lease review and they understand their rights and responsibilities, they have less issues a lot of times, and they know how to handle things a little bit better as they go forward.”

In reviewing leases, Showalter said it’s im-portant to make sure stu-dents are aware not only of what they’re agreeing to but also of the binding and enforceable nature of signing a legal docu-ment. Students should know both their rights and their responsibili-ties as it pertains to the lease.

A free service, SLS has saved students more than $141,000 in le-gal fees alone since April 2015, according to Showalter.

“Working with students is really rewarding, and we don’t charge anything, so a $500 security deposit

is a lot of money to a stu-dent, and for them to go hire an attorney to address that would be cost-prohib-itive,” Showalter said. “… We’re able to make change and actually assist stu-dents in cases that they wouldn’t have assistance (otherwise).”

Showalter said students should come to them as soon as an issue arises so they can address it and be-gin the legal process in a timely fashion to better chances for a favorable outcome.

Philip Lehman, a le-gal graduate assistant and second year student at the College of Law, said when students go to SLS for land-lord disputes, current and future tenants are benefit-ted as landlords are held accountable.

“It creates a nice bal-ance. Not only does (SLS) help (students), but it helps landlord-tenant law here in Morgantown, it keeps the landlords in check with the statutory law. I think (the managing attorneys) do a great job making sure the students’ claims are heard,” Lehman said.

Along with housing, SLS takes on civil issues, such as expungements of records, powers of attor-ney, family law, wills and contracts.

In criminal cases, how-ever, SLS can only provide advice, not representa-tion. SLS also cannot han-dle issues between two or more WVU students or cases filed against the University.

For cases that require specific expertise, like patent law, immigra-tion or tax disputes, SLS will provide referrals to other places where stu-dents can get the help they need.

“I would advise all

students, if they think there’s an issue hap-pening with their land-lord, to come and see us, and we can evalu-ate the claim and hope-fully help them,” Lehman said.

Students may call SLS to schedule an appoint-ment at (304)-293-4897 or email [email protected]. There are addi-tional walk-in hours at 4:45-7 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays in room G5 of Elizabeth Moore Hall.

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM Wednesday November 18, 20158 | KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Evansdale appeals to Mountaineers for its con-venient local and campus resources in a quiet, laid-back environment. If you’re looking to step back from the hustle and bustle of the downtown, Evansdale of-fers easy options for living and commuting between campuses.

West Virginia University has recently added a pleth-ora of new Evansdale din-ing options and entertain-ment on campus, with even more on the way. In the new Evansdale Crossing build-ing located next to the Stu-dent Rec Center, students can chose between multiple eateries on meal-plan in the First Floor Marketplace.

Fast, on-the-go spots in-clude Collo Rosso Pizza, Hugh Baby’s BBQ and Burger Shop, Little Donkey

Tacos and Taziki’s Mediter-ranean Café. Students can also enjoy a juice bar and a coffee shop on WVU Cross-ing’s rooftop level.

In a short five minute walk, Mountaineers can enjoy off-campus locations along Patteson Drive. Not only do students have ac-cess to a 24-hour Kroger, late-night food options in-cluding Taco Bell, Burger King, Little Caesar’s and McDonald’s are also a vailable.

If you’re looking for dine-in experience, check out lo-cal restaurants Mario’s Fish-bowl and Boston Beanery located along University Ave for pub-style grub. Ad-venturous eaters might even be tempted by Evansdale’s Asian cuisine options, such as Ogawa and Volcano.

‑CNW

Although the Domain’s location makes residents reliant on busses or other forms of automotive trans-portation to reach cam-pus and downtown fun, its proximity to a whole shop-ping center gives students living there opportunities others do not have.

With University Towne Centre right in its backyard, students living at the Do-main have walking access to tons of shopping, restau-rants and entertainment.

Although Chilis, Ched-dar’s, Red Lobster and the ever-so-cheap Cici’s Pizza don’t offer the local charm that some downtown restaurants have, these chains are known for their consistency.

With Regal Morgantown Stadium 12 only a stone’s throw away, the Domain

is an excellent location for movie buffs. The theatre is located right in front of the Domain, meaning res-idents do not need to drive, or struggle with parking, to see the latest blockbuster hit.

With the recent addition of the new baseball sta-dium right next door, the Domain is also an excellent area for sports fans. When the Mountaineers aren’t taking the diamond, peo-ple can watch the West Vir-ginia Black Bears compete.

The Target, Walmart, Gamestop and other stores mean that Domain resi-dents are never without food or material items. Al-though separated a bit from the rest of Morgantown, the Domain offers residents a lot of things to do.

‑WT

While much of Sunnyside is undergoing serious reno-vations, the area is still a ma-jor hub of student life.

Iconic Morgantown res-taurants such as The Rusted Musket and Mutt’s provide students with a timeless WVU feel. For those 21 and older looking for late night fun with friends, Mutt’s on Beechurst is a fun spot to spin the shot wheel and snag specials. For students look-ing to enjoy a healthier late- night option, The Greeks lo-cated in Beech View Place is open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Owner and chef Dimitrios Kolettis said The Greeks is a great spot for students because the restau-rant serves simple, one-of-a-kind food that is all prepared in-house.

“It’s very healthy, and it’s one-of-a-kind here in Mor-

gantown,” Kolettis said. “It is Greek. Greek is simple and we make everything in the house, this is a family owned business.”

Students who opt to stay in can also dessert dial warm cookies, brownies and ice cream sandwiches from In-somnia Cookies. The late- night delivery service, lo-cated beneath University Place, will drop hot cook-ies at any student’s door-step. Insomnia Cookies isn’t the only UPlace business crafting up popular student dining.

Students looking to use Mountie Bounty can pur-chase not only meals from Sheetz’ Made-To-Order op-tion, but can also browse for certain groceries at the downtown convenience store.

‑CMW

SunnysideThe DomainEvansdale

THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD | 9

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

The DA’s guide for WVU’s most popular student living communities

One of the largest student living communities resides just beyond one of the big-gest entertainment hubs in town. The West Run area not only offers a handful of afford-able housing options, but also many great dining and night-life options for students on a budget.

Suncrest Town Centre, lo-cated off of Stewartstown Road., has dozens of for-mal and fast-food options to try. For students on the run, drive-thru spots such as Mar-

tin’s Barbeque, Five Guys, Dairy Queen and Sonic are available. For those looking to kick back on the weekends, check out Primanti Brothers, Buffalo Wild Wings or Pies and Pints for some tasty local favorites.

Suncrest Town Centre also offers shopping desti-nations such as the trendy

women’s apparel boutique Park and Madison, Cow-boys and Angels, and a LOFT Outlet.

The Moutainline conve-niently extends its route to service students traveling to both the Suncrest Town Cen-tre and Pierpont Centre shop-ping areas.

‑CNW

West Run

DowntownAlthough recent construc-

tion plans make it seem like the school is trying to move the town’s center to some-where between Evansdale and Sunnyside, there is no beating the charm of down-town Morgantown.

The historic center of the city, High Street, and the sur-rounding blocks have become the go-to areas for nightlife, shopping and dining.

Downtown offers a variety of housing options, from old-school apartments overlook-ing the city’s center, to rent-able housing along the nearby streets. There is something for every living style.

Clubs and bars along High Street such as The Annex, Jameson’s and Joe Mama’s give students places to dance, meet up with friends and en-joy a few drinks. For the more

adventurous, great bars such as the Apothecary are tucked away on side streets, offering stunning drink selections and calmer atmospheres.

Food is also easy to come by downtown. Establishments like Tailpipes, The Highstreet Diner and Soul Brothers offer delicious and quick in-and-out meals. For those desiring a more sit-down vibe, down-town is home to many pubs

and breweries such as The Iron Horse Tavern, Morgan-town Brewing Co. and J.W. Thirsties.

For music lovers, the area has venues such as the new Mainstage Morgantown and historic 123 Pleasant Street, which offer almost nightly performances from local groups and nationally ac-claimed bands alike.

‑WT

andrew spellman/dailyathenaeumnaticakes is located in suncrest towne Centre.

StadiumAs a student, living by

Milan Puskar Stadium puts you in a West Vir-ginia University hot spot where good grub, brewed beverages and Mountain-eer sports take precedent. Within walking distance of the small community re-siding around the stadium are an array of dining op-tions for students.

For a caffeine boost, or a place to study, Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts pro-vide affordable, conve-nient options. Both are lo-cated on Van Voorhis Drive within walking distance from the medical PRT, al-lowing students from var-ious points on campus to commute without a car.

If you’re looking for a boost without the caf-feine, Los Mariachis Mexi-can Restaurant’s margarita and specialty enchilada is a go-to for students look-ing for an affordable meal out.

Dickey’s Barbeque lo-cated next to Starbucks also provides an affordable option for lunch or dinner. WVU student and Dickey’s Barbeque employee Ivy Meadows said that the res-taurant provides students daily specials.

“We have a lot of of-fers here,” Meadows said. “We really try to reach out to the student population here in Morgantown.”

‑CMW

andrew spellman/dailyathenaeumdickey’s Barbeque is located on Van Voorhis rd.

Tell us what you think about this issue. Send a tweet to

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM Wednesday November 18, 201510 | LIVING GUIDE

Transportation a factor in housing decision

By Amy PrATTStaff Writer

@Dailyathenaeum

Transportation in Mor-gantown can be compli-cated, especially with the growing number of stu-dents and hilly terrain. Fortunately, West Virginia University and local ser-vices offer some methods of transportation to students.

The PRT and the bus are common methods students use to get to class and travel between WVU’s campuses. Both are free for students with their WVU ID.

Taylor Fama, a freshman biomedical engineering student, lives in Oakland Hall on Evansdale Cam-pus. She uses both the bus and the PRT to travel down-town for class. Though she prefers riding the PRT be-cause it drops her off closer to her first class, she usually takes the bus.

“The PRT is not reliable enough,” Fama said. “The bus is more reliable than the PRT, and you know exactly where it’s going to be. They (have) the Twitter and the schedule. You can use the schedule to find out where (the bus) is supposed to be and the Twitter to know where it actually is.”

While the bus is usually more reliable than the PRT, it also has its disadvantages for Fama.

“If you miss the bus, there’s not another one for 20 minutes. It’s not like you can wait for another bus to come in the next five min-utes,” Fama said. “Also, comparing the bus to the PRT, the bus doesn’t in-crease its productivity or the number of runs it makes based on how many people need it. The PRT will have more cars running on the track and more runs during a rush time, but the bus can easily get overcrowded.”

Josef Heller, a biochemis-try student who lives in Col-lege Park on the Downtown campus, thinks College Park’s location can be in-convenient. While walking to class can take too long, it’s also too close to drive.

“I always walk to and from my classes because it’s hard to find parking. There is parking at College Park, so I have the option of hav-ing car, but I don’t drive to class,” Heller said.

Heller has to walk up a large hill to get home after class, which he didn’t real-ize when he decided to live at College Park.

“I picked the apartment based on the fact that it has family units, but then I found out that it’s at the top of this giant hill, and I was like, ‘Holy crap that kind of sucks,’” he said. “But I’ve only lived here so this is all I know. I know some people who lived in the dorms be-fore drive to class because of the hill...”

Even with the hill, Heller plans to continue walking to class in the winter months because finding parking downtown will only get harder with more people driving.

Denali Hedrick, a soph-omore strategic commu-nications student, lives at Chateau Royale near the

football stadium between the Downtown and Evans-dale campuses. Hedrick rides the Valley View 44-line bus downtown for class and takes the PRT to medical and then walks home. She prefers finding the bus be-cause it stops right in front of her home, but it stops running at 2:15 p.m.

“The bus is pretty reliable, sometimes it leaves a little earlier than it should, but it’s just by a couple minutes. It’s just enough that if you’re running a little late, it’s a lit-tle risky,” Hendrick said. “It’s quick and part of the reason I live there.”

The real problem will be in the winter, however, when Hedrick will have to walk home from the medi-cal PRT.

Some of the off-campus apartments offer shuttles that take students down-town or to Evansdale. Cam-pus Park at the Ridge, The Lofts, Copper Beech and Campus Evolution all offer shuttles.

Most students who live downtown can walk or use the Mountain Line Transit Authority. To check bus schedules and where they service, visit http://www.busride.org/Maps-Schedules.

[email protected]

file photoMorgantown residents struggle to find parking spaces during the week.

THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 LIVING GUIDE | 11

Construction still affecting UPlace residentsby madeleine hall

staff writer @dailyathenaeum

University Place is lo-cated on University Av-enue on the Downtown Campus and is one of the newer apartment com-plexes at WVU. UPlace has a number of apartments, studios and townhome.

Apartments are fully furnished and all utilities are included in rent.

Community amenities include a fitness center, study lounges, a WVU/Mountain Line bus stop, outdoor courtyards and a number of food options, such as a Sheetz, Insom-nia Cookies, Burgerz n Dogz and Papa Allen’s Pizza.

Individual apartment amenities include gran-ite kitchen countertops,

hardwood style floors, private bedrooms, pri-vate and semi-private bathrooms and a washer and dryer in certain units.

Apartments are fur-nished to include a flat screen TV, new couches, entertainment centers and bedroom furniture.

UPlace has a policy of individual lease respon-sibility or “by the bed leases,” meaning that a roommate’s failure to pay rent will have no negative consequences on your credit.

Parking leases are dis-tributed on a first come, first serve basis.

“UPlace is pretty nice, but it’s quite expensive,” said Karl Mueller, a WVU sophomore and Uplace resident. “They’re going to raise rent next year, so I

frequently advise people against living here.”

Isaac Estep, also a sophomore at WVU and resident at UPlace, said he hasn’t enjoyed the re-cent construction in the area.

“They are still work-ing on the building, so frequent loud construc-tion noises disturb your day,” he said. “I have to yell to talk to someone a foot away.”

Rent at UPlace is cur-rently $750 per month. Because rent is ris-ing, leases signed or re-newed by Nov. 30 is $760. If leases are signed after Nov. 30, rent is hiked to $775.

For more information on UPlace, visit http://uplace.wvu.edu.

[email protected]

askar salikhov/the daily athenaeumUniversity Place is located on University Avenue near the Sunnyside neighborhood.

Vandalia Apartments boasts prime locationby madeleine hall

staff writer @dailyathenaeum

Vandalia Apartments is lo-cated on the corner of Falling Run Road near the College of Business and Economics, within walking distance of the Downtown campus.

Community amenities in-clude a nearby Mountain Line bus stop, a laundry facil-ity, covered parking facilities for $125 a month and parking for $112.50 a month.

Individual one and two bedroom apartments are fur-nished with a kitchen bar and bar stools, a sofa and chair, accessory tables, curved shower rods, beds, dressers, desks and desk chairs.

Apartment amenities in-clude brushed steel kitchen appliances like a microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher, private bathrooms and in-dividually controlled air conditioning.

Vandalia Apartments uses individual leases and room-

mate matching, and is open year round.

Water, gas, electric, sewer, Internet, cable and sanitation are all included in rent.

“Honestly, I really enjoyed Vandalia. It had a great loca-tion,” said Michael Forester, a WVU senior who previously lived in the apartments. “We had one of the larger rooms which was very spacious, however, the smaller rooms are quite tiny and cramped.”

Also “annoying,” Forester

said there isn’t free parking available.

“And (rent) was expen-sive…for the price, (apart-ments) should have been bigger,” he said.

Rent at Vandalia Apart-ments is $699 a month per person.

For more information on Vandalia Apartments, visit http://vandaliaapartments.wvu.edu.

[email protected]

file photoVandalia Apartments

THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 living guide | 13

By Jamie masonCorrespondent

@dailyathenaeum

“Is there parking?”If you have a car at school

with you, this answer is im-perative. Especially in Mor-gantown, parking is one of the hardest things to come by, making this one of the most important things to ask about before signing a lease. You don’t want it to be move in day and after you unload your car, real-ize there is no place to park. If parking is offered at your new home, be sure to find out whether or not there is an additional fee for it, as well.

“Are utilities included in my rent?”

Many times for apart-ments or houses off-cam-pus at West Virginia Univer-sity, students have to pay for utilities on top of monthly rent. It is crucial that before signing a lease, you find out whether or not utilities are included. How bad would it be if one month into your school, the electric-ity turned off because you

didn’t know you had to pay the electric bill? Also clar-ify, if all or just some utili-ties are included.

“Are there any known issues or damages to the apartment?”

The home you want to live in may be beautiful, but what if the toilet won’t flush, or the bathtub doesn’t drain? You should always ask the landlord if there are any known physical prob-lems or maintenance is-sues, and more importantly, check for yourself. Land-lords might not be upfront, so you don’t want to be held accountable for some-one else’s handiwork. Also, ask about who takes care of maintenance and how to get in contact.

“What are my leasing options?”

Living on your own dur-ing college can be very ex-pensive, so sometimes it’s necessary to have room-mates. Before you or your potential roommates sign the lease, ask if each person has his or her own lease, or a “by the bed” lease. You

don’t want to lose your house halfway through the semester because one of your roommates can’t af-ford their share of the rent. Many places offer separate leases for each resident, ensuring your roommates’ mistakes won’t affect you.

“What are my transpor-tation options within walk-ing distance?”

Whether it’s walking, driving or taking a shuttle to class, you should always consider how far away cam-pus is from your new home, and how you will get around. Morgantown has a number of hills, so make sure there is an easy way to navigate to and from classes, with-out trekking up and down the mountains of West Vir-ginia. Especially if you don’t have a car, transportation like shuttles, buses and the PRT can be crucial to travel-ling not just to class, but to the grocery store, the bar or anything else in town you’re interested in.

“How can I decorate?”People like to express

themselves artistically and

make their rooms their own, and many times, this may mean hanging photos or posters. But sometimes, landlords and apartment complexes are stricter than others with decoration pol-icies, and doing anything that could possibly damage walls or doors.

Ask what you’re allowed to physically do to your new living space before making any style choices. Wouldn’t it be terrible if you lost your security deposit because of one nail in the wall? Be wary of “redecoration fees” land-lords could be charging on top of security deposits, and if there is prior damage to walls or carpets, document it with a photo and show your landlord to avoid be-ing charged when you move out.

“Is there a laundry unit?”

You might not partic-ularly enjoy laundry, but it’s necessary to consider if there’s a washer and dryer in your new home or nearby. If these features are not inside your house or apartment, ask where

they’re located, and how much it costs to use them. If you live in a communal apartment, check to see if the machines are free or coin operated, and if they’re functional.

“Can I bring my pet with me?”

College is a time to gain responsibility. For some, this may mean adopting a pet and learning to take care of an animal. Whether you have one now or might want one in the future, you should ask whether or not pets are allowed. If pets are allowed, be sure to see it in the lease and find out if there is an additional fee for the pet to live in the house, or for further damage. Also check restrictions on pets. Some landlords will allow certain dogs under a spe-cific weight, and may ban select breeds.

“What is the guest policy?”

WVU is a school many students are proud of and want to show it off to their family and friends from home, which means lots

of guests. Sometimes land-lords have a policy in their lease, however, that prohib-its guests from staying over-night or for a period of time. Find out the guest policy be-fore you sign if you think you might have friends over for a visit, or else you might end up leaving some loved ones stranded. Also check if guest parking is available for visits, and if special ar-rangements must be made with your landlord.

“What is the policy on breaking my lease?”

College isn’t for every-one, and family issues aren’t planned, so what happens if after one semes-ter, you need to move back home, drop out of school or take some time off? Be-fore signing your new lease, ask about the terms and conditions of needing to break it, for any reason. Find out how much notice is required, and how much you’d have to pay, or if you’d be forced to find a new ten-ant for subleasing.

[email protected]

Ten important questions to ask before signing a lease

By Jamie masonCorrespondent

@dailyathenaeum

Campus Evolution is lo-cated minutes from the Downtown and Evansdale campuses and has a number of different features.

Amenities include an on-site café, 24-hour fitness cen-ter, including basketball and volleyball courts, 24-hour computer lounge, pool, hot tub, tanning beds, parking and free shuttle service both to and from campus.

Campus Evolution has two, three and four bedroom apartments with private bath-rooms, a washer and dryer, In-ternet service and HD cable with HBO. There are individ-

ual leases and modern furni-ture for each bedroom.

Andrea Phung, a WVU ju-nior and tenant at Campus Evolution, pays $655 a month, which includes all utilities. The free shuttle is Phung’s fa-vorite part of living at campus evolution.

“(It’s) super convenient… and nice for when I’m too lazy to drive,” she said.

Although the shuttle is her favorite amenity, Phung said it still has its downfalls. She wishes Campus Evolution was closer to the University when heading to class in the mornings.

While the distance is a con-cern, Phung has lived there for two years and recommends it to other students.

“Overall, I’ve had a great ex-perience,” she said. “The em-ployees are super nice and re-ally work with you. The place is spacious, and the shuttle makes getting around easy if you don’t have a car.”

For more information on Campus Evolution, visit http://cevillages.com/find-housing/campus-evolution-villages-morgantown/.

[email protected]

Campus evolution evolves housing

andrew spellman/the daily athenaeumCampus Evolution Villages.

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THE DAILY ATHENAEUM Wednesday November 18, 201514 | LIVING EDITION

Student Renters Alliance offers students protectionBy TRey SAnToRine

Correspondent @dailyathenaeum

The Student Renters Al-liance will fight to protect students, often renting for

the first time, from absen-tee or exploitative land-lords starting this spring.

A student organization at West Virginia University, the group aims to be an in-valuable campus resource

by providing a resource to name exploitative property owners, recognizing out-standing landlords and of-fering services to students being treated unfairly.

After the indictment

of Copper Beach, a mul-timillion dollar student housing complex that was found to have collected tens of thousands of dol-lars in illegal charges from students, Student Govern-ment Association Gover-nor Mac McIntyre saw the importance of an organi-zation that would advocate for the rights of individual students.

“The Student Renters Alliance is a student soli-darity network to stand up against landlord exploita-tion, and make sure that students know their rights and that they’re not being taken advantage of,” Mc-Intyre, a senior political

science student, said. The new student orga-

nization will act as an ad-vocate for the thousands of student renters at WVU, helping to mediate con-flicts between landlords and tenants, or directing students toward relevant legal services if necessary.

In addition, the organi-zation will produce publi-cations to inform students about particularly notori-ous landlords in the area.

“We’ll get the word out and say, ‘Here’s a land-lord that’s been very bad historically, here’s a land-lord that’s been taking ad-vantage of students, here’s a landlord that won’t fix

problems or charges exces-sive fees,” McIntyre said. “It’s really about education and information, especially after freshman year where students are moving out of dorms, helping guide them through the minefield of choosing an apartment for the first time.”

The Student Renters Alli-ance will also highlight the specific landlords in Mor-gantown that go above and beyond to support their student renters, while pro-viding them with a safe en-vironment. Students will be able to better choose who to lease from and where.

[email protected]

Water: Morgantown Utility Board

304-292-8443

http://mub.org/

electric: MonPower

1-800-686-0022

Trash: Republic services

304-366-8900

http://republicservices.com/

Internet, cable and phone: Comcast

(800) 266-2278

http://xfinity.com/

Mail keys: U.s. Postal service

304-599-5769

https://usps.com/

Gas: ameriGas

(304) 296-8206

http://amerigas.com/

Helpful Resources

THE DAILY ATHENAEUMWednesday November 18, 2015 AD | 15

2015 Living Guide

Documents

Transcript of 2015 Living Guide