Construction begins on renovated Ashton dorms

Students looking for apartment style living but wishing to stay on campus have a new option with the planned completion of the new Ashton Housing Complex on 10th Street.

From Nov. 2 to Nov. 15, students can fill out a six-question survey on the Residential Programs and Services Web site. Students who fill out the survey will be put into pool that will allow them to register for the Ashton complex early, said Sarah Ivey Lucas, assistant director for housing assignments. 

From Nov. 19 to Dec. 1, those who have completed the survey can apply to live in the new Ashton Housing.

Ivey Lucas said RPS will be at the Indiana Daily Student Fall 2009 Housing Fair with laptops so students can take the survey there.

“The survey and the early registration are open to any IU student,” she said.

Upperclassmen who have moved off campus will still have priority over younger students, Ivey Lucas said. Upperclassmen who have remained in the residence halls will have the highest priority though, she said.

RPS expects 2,000 to 3,000 students to take the survey. Students who do not take it will have to wait and apply between Jan. 19 and Feb. 17 to live there.

The new housing will be apartment style, but will still be handled like a residence hall, RPS executive director Pat Connor said. The buildings will offer a small number of one- and two-bedroom apartments but the majority of the units will be four bedrooms, Connor said.

He said, like the residence halls, students can identify a preferred roommate or be placed randomly. A majority of the complex will be upperclassmen, but depending on the demand for the new housing and the need for housing, some freshmen might be placed there, Connor said.

The yearly rate for a four-bedroom apartment is $7,450, a two-bedroom $7,950 and a one-bedroom is $8,700, Connor said. Leases will start on Aug. 25 and end May 7, he said, and students will be billed per semester. Students who live there do not have to buy a meal plan.

“Students can pay an extra $200 fee for the option to move in on Aug. 15,” Connor said.

The new complex will consist of seven different four-story buildings, each building with 90 to 130 apartments, Connor said. Each building will have elevators, large lounges on the first floor and smaller lounges on each floor, he said. Each individual apartment will contain a washer and dryer, a kitchen and fully furnished bedrooms and living room, Connor said.

There will be two aerobic workout rooms. At first the workout rooms will be available only to students living in the complex, he said. But, it’s possible they could open to everyone later.

There will also be a food service and an auditorium similar to the ones located in Willkie Quad, he said. The second floor of the main building will be classrooms, which will begin use starting next year, Connor said.

Connor said the buildings are on schedule and will be completed and ready for the 2010-11 school year. 

“I’m foreseeing the rooms will be sold out when sign-ups open,” Connor said.