In a bleak, cinderblock-walled dorm room, dreams of living in a fancy hotel or spacious apartment are sure to cross your mind. But for a handful of lucky students, that dream has become a reality.

For the first time this fall semester, options for student housing have been extended beyond the normal dormitory buildings and Syracuse University South Campus apartments. With the influx of incoming students in the past two years, SU has created a total of 326 new spots in hotels and luxury apartments to accommodate these students, according to a Jan. 31 article in The Daily Orange.  

After one month of living in these unique housing situations, students share the pros and cons of their new housing lifestyle.

 

Park Point Syracuse

Location: 417 Comstock Ave.

Knowing that she wanted to go abroad this spring semester, junior public relations and marketing management major, Megan Corbet, considered all her options.

‘I didn’t want to live in a dorm or on South again, and I didn’t want to deal with subletting, but I wanted an apartment-style setup,’ Corbet said. ‘It’s so nice to have lots of space … and also be right on campus if I ever need to run back quickly.’

Each tenant has his or her own individual room and a bathroom shared between two roommates. The apartment also comes fully furnished with a washer, a dryer and kitchen appliances.

Outside the room, Park Point offers a variety of amenities, including lounge areas equipped with TVs, a gym with brand-new equipment and a courtyard in the back of the building. 

Corbet said a Park Point con is the inconvenient package pickup hours — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Corbet also constantly has security in the back of her mind because, unlike dorms, security guards do not check IDs or require guests to sign in. Despite these issues, Corbet is still very happy with her housing for this semester. 

‘It’s my favorite place that I’ve lived so far in my three years here.’

           

Sheraton University Hotel and Conference Center

Location: 801 University Ave.

When you and your roommate luck out with a great housing lottery number, why wouldn’t you choose to live in a hotel room? Sophomore aerospace engineering major Matthew Rosanio was excited for the opportunity to live somewhere unique.

The standard amenities that come with each room — air conditioning, full-sized beds, a flat-screen TV and a personal bathroom — are hard to beat, said Rosanio.

The Sheraton also allows students to use its pool, gym and computer facilities. The only thing unavailable to students is the continental breakfast and restaurant, which students have to pay for.

 Rosanio said the location’s only issue arises when he does laundry. 

‘They only give us one washer and dryer, and usually it’s being used, so you either have to get lucky or you have to go all the way up to Watson.’

Otherwise, Rosanio couldn’t think of another problem he has with the Sheraton.

‘Everything about it is as good as, if not better than, living in the dorms last year.’

 

University Village Apartments

Location: 315 Small Road

Mary Callegari, a senior family studies and psychology major, has lived on South Campus all four years of her college career. Though some students may find this unthinkable, Callegari has become accustomed to life on South. She now lives in a University Village apartment.

‘I like South much better because there’s more space than in a dorm, and you’re only sharing it with one other person,’ Callegari said. ‘UV is just an upgraded version of South.’

UV provides each resident with a room, a double bed, a desk dresser and a personal bathroom.

Tenants have their own washers and dryers and all apartments come with cable television.

UV provides a variety of recreational facilities for tenants, such as a state-of-the-art gym, tanning beds, game rooms, study rooms and a television lounge.

Though UV, like South Campus housing, does not have resident advisers or residential security aides, Callegari said that having a swipe card system that only UV residents have access to is reassuring.

Callegari said she has thoroughly enjoyed her time living in UV and struggled to think of any disadvantages.

‘My mom came to visit me and was like, ‘Don’t get too used to this, it’s not what you get when you graduate,” Callegari said. ‘It’s pretty awesome to live here as a college student.’

           

The Parkview Hotel

Location: 713 East Genesee St.

For Taylor Chaskey, a sophomore acting major, getting to his classes at Syracuse Stage from Lyons Hall last year was a major inconvenience. Now only a five-minute walk away from the building, Chaskey is happy with his choice to live in the Parkview Hotel.

‘I would highly recommend living here to people who have classes at The Warehouse or Syracuse Stage because they’re so close.’

This hotel-turned-dorm comes equipped with double beds, private bathrooms, a TV and a microwave.

The lobby is spacious with a variety of comfortable couches to do work on, and there’s a small café that accepts Off Campus Meal Plans.

The Parkview Hotel has six floors and limited facilities. The basement offers a lounge exclusively for students and a small gym. Students have access to the hotel’s printing and laundry services, but the amount of printers, washers and dryers is limited. However, Chaskey does not see these things as disadvantages.

‘It’s a very old building, but I kind of like that about it,’ Chaskey said. ‘On the inside, though, pretty much everything, like the bathrooms, is all up to date.’

dmodiama@syr.edu

Published on September 26, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Danielle: dmodiama@syr.edu | @daniemarieodie