By
Jeff Ficker
Arizona Daily Wildcat
When undeclared UA freshman Keanan Levant moved into his Sky View apartment in August, he was not prepared for what awaited him.
The shower always clogged, the desk collapsed, and his air conditioner didn't work properly. Levant's apartment did not even have a phone line.
Things have changed since then.
The drains have been unclogged, and his refrigerator is working. But while maintenance workers have repaired most of his apartment's biggest problems, it is still not up to the standards Levant had expected.
"It is definitely not worth what you pay," Levant said. "Other dorms have Ethernet and free phone service."
Many residents agree that conditions at the UA-leased Sky View apartments, 1050 E. Eighth St., have improved, though some say they feel cheated by the experience.
"Because (Sky View) is student housing, they think they can charge extra," Levant said. "I could have gone over to Sun Terrace apartments and paid less."
In November, Residence Life sent a letter to Sky View residents offering to release them from their rental agreements. Nearly 40 percent took advantage of the offer.
When residents moved into Sky View in August, many were greeted with a host of problems, ranging from dirty carpet and furniture to faulty plumbing. The carpet in Levant's apartment still has noticeable stains and tears from previous residents.
Students filed numerous complaints, many of which were ignored by Residence Life for more than a month, residents said.
"People threw up in the hallway, and they didn't clean it up for days," said Laura Szykula, a pre-nursing freshman and Sky View resident.
Last semester, Andrew Fredricks, a Sky View resident and business freshman, reported a broken window in his first-floor apartment. Maintenance did not repair the damage for three days, making Fredricks' apartment an easy target for break-ins.
In addition to safety concerns, Sky View has been plagued by numerous maintenance problems, including leaking pipes and a lack of overall cleanliness of the apartment complex.
"The A/C never really worked, and we a had a leak that was never really fixed," Fredricks said. "The major problem is that it's so dirty."
When a report of neglected repairs at Sky View ran in the Sept. 15 issue of the Wildcat, Jim Van Arsdel, Residence Life director, toured the facility and committed the university to making necessary improvements.
Sky View residents have noticed a difference.
Residence Life offered to clean carpet and upholstered furniture for all residents in October. Most residents took advantage of the service.
According to UA's lease agreement with Eastern Way, Sky View's management company, the apartment complex is only responsible for providing a clean apartment prior to students moving in. Maintenance of the property then becomes the university's responsibility.
Residence Life is working on a plan to thoroughly clean apartments and replace carpet and damaged furniture during the summer, Van Arsdel said.
"I think we're well on our way to a good balance with maintenance response and partnering with Eastern Way," said Martha Castleberry, Residence Life housing complex manager. "(Sky View) has been well liked."
"We didn't even have a phone..."
As problems at Sky View became apparent in September, some residents acknowledge that, as freshmen, they were unsure of their options.
"We're freshmen, and we didn't know what to do," Fredricks said. "We didn't even have a phone until a month into school."
Students arrived in August to find that almost all of the apartments were without phone service. The matter was not completely resolved until the beginning of December, when the last phone line was installed, Van Arsdel said. Students had to pay the $46.50 installation fee as well as a Qwest Communications monthly service charge.
Van Arsdel attributed much of the phone-line delay to the increased number of residents living at Sky View. Demand exceeded the existing number of lines available, as Residence Life doubled the number of residents usually assigned to a room.
"Our goal in housing students is to house as many as we can," Van Arsdel said.
The increased occupancy heightened demand for additional lines, especially those intended for computer use. Unlike residence halls on campus, Sky View apartments are not equipped with Ethernet connections.
"They tell you there are all the advantages of a dorm with all the advantages of apartments," said Larry Silver, an undeclared freshman and Fredricks' roommate. "But there wasn't even a phone or Ethernet."
Residence Life may provide high-speed DSL service and free Internet access to each apartment next year, Van Arsdel said.
"It can take time... ."
Residence Life has also made a significant investment in improving Sky View's fire safety system. More than $20,000 has been spent to replace pull stations, install emergency evacuation lights and update alarms. Two new smoke detectors were added to each apartment.
"In effect, we had replace the entire fire safety system, " Van Arsdel said. "We feel that is money well spent. That building is a much safer building as a result of that investment."
Residence Life's lease with Eastern Way did not require the company to update the old system, since the building is up to code. However, it did not meet the standards expected in other residence halls.
Residence Life toured Sky View before students moved in August.
"It was clear that it wasn't up to our standards," Van Arsdel said.
Once students moved into the complex, the extent of the problems became more apparent to Residence Life officials.
"When you lease a building, especially the first year, there is no way you can know all the information about that building," Van Arsdel said. "It can take time."
"... no building is perfect."
UA began its two-year lease of Sky View in July as a temporary solution to the university's on-campus housing shortage. Because of a growing freshman population - 6,594 freshmen were enrolled this fall as compared to 5,902 in 1999 - Residence Life was forced to find housing for an additional 700 housing applicants this year.
The university was already leasing units at Corleone and Palm Shadows apartments to accommodate the influx. The acquisition of Sky View added 252 spaces for students who otherwise would have been turned away. In total, Residence Life housed about 5,500 students this year - a 10 percent increase from last year - in its 17 dorms and four apartment complexes.
Residents pay $4,120 each year for a furnished, one-bedroom apartment at Sky View, which is assigned to two people. Four people share a two-bedroom apartment, paying $3,350 each. While phone service is not included, all utilities are paid.
Now that nearly 40 percent of residents have left Sky View, many students no longer have to share a bedroom.
In order to find a more permanent solution to housing problems, Residence Life is developing plans to build three additional residence halls and two new apartment complexes.
The three residence halls will be located on North Highland Avenue and East Sixth Street, across from the La Paz and Apache-Santa Cruz residence halls. They will provide an additional 700 spaces.
With the evacuation of the Christopher City apartments last summer because of a toxic-mold problem, Residence Life has been searching for an opportunity to create new single-family and graduate-student housing. Each complex is being designed with older students in mind.
"The idea is to build to the needs of those two groups," Van Arsdel said. "This is the first time that we've built sites this way."
A graduate-student complex is scheduled to be built first, with construction expected to start as early as fall. It is expected to be built on the L-shaped lot surrounding the Tyndall Avenue garage.
While the complex will be built on UA-owned land, an independent developer will design, construct and maintain the building for about 30 years. The new apartment complex will have an arrangement similar to UA's lease with Sky View.
Residence Life has approved a similar plan for a single-family complex. While officials are not sure where the apartments will be built, the old Christopher City site, 3401 N. Columbus Blvd., is being considered. Residence Life is asking developers for additional site and development suggestions.
Until new facilities are built, Sky View will provide much-needed housing for students. UA's two-year lease with Eastern Way ends during the summer of 2002, and Residence Life officials have not ruled out renewing it.
Officials anticipate a much easier fall for next year's residents. The summer break will provide an opportunity for UA maintenance to repair any lingering problems and to clean the apartments.
"We don't anticipate that these problems will be there next year," Van Arsdel said. "We have already dramatically improved the fire safety system and the voice and data system.
"I don't mean to suggest that (Sky View) will be perfect ... but no building is perfect."
