Housing Tabloid

WHAT WILL YOU

CHOOSE?

OLD GOLD&BLACK H O U S I N G S E L E C T I O N 2 0 1 3

LUCK OF THE DRAW

Graphic by: Elizabeth Ropp/Old Gold & Black

3,000

100

10,000

SPRING 2013

Tabloid Page 2 | Thursday, March 28, 2013

Old Gold & Black | Housing Tabloid

Molly Dutmers/Old Gold & Black

D

ear Readers,

It is that time of year again. The dreaded game of choosing housing is upon us.

To make your decisions a little easier, the Old Gold & Black staff has designed this special housing tabloid for the second year in a row. The articles in this tabloid are meant to be a housing registration guide from students’ perspectives.

Now that sophomores must choose a place on campus to call home, it is more important than ever to understand the pros and cons of on-campus living.

The articles in this publication are written by real students who have lived in these dorms. They are first-hand experiences of college living at Wake. But be warned, the stories are not sugar-coated press releases for each dorm.

The stories are filled with humorous anecdotes and tales of real college living.

While some of the housing registration is up to chance (based on your registration time) we feel that students should have an idea of what they are getting into.

The 2013-14 academic year will bring major changes for housing options on campus. Student Apartments will not be available for students to live in because of renovations. Read our article on page 15 to find out what these changes entail.

What’s more, the new dorms located behind Lot Q will open their doors this fall. Find out how these brand new, beautiful buildings will be set up on pages eight and nine.

Like last year, we have students describe their off-campus living experiences in the nearby apartment complexes for rising seniors. Decide which apartment building is best for you. You can compare the Crowne’s to Deacon’s Station: unfurnished but spacious versus pricey but luxurious.

We also included a photo story on page four of some of Wake Forest’s best looking dorm rooms. Just because you have a small canvas to work with doens’t mean you can’t let your creative juices flow while decorating your on-campus dorm room next year.

Despite the stress that comes with planning who you are going to live with and where, it is an exciting time of year to decide where you will spend the next year studying, sleeping and bonding with friends.

There are advantages and disadvantages of every building on or off campus, some weighed more heavily on the negative aspects than others.

While this publication is the first step to understanding what it is like living in these buildings, I recommend talking with your friends and visiting their rooms to see what they are like for yourself.

In the end, don’t be too discouraged if your registration does not work out the way you want it to. There is definitely an element of chance in the registration process but it all somehow works out for the best. You may be cramped in space, but you may have the best location on campus. Or living with your friends may take priority over fine amenities.

Your college experience is not based solely on where you live. Make the best of your housing and remember, no other time in your life will you live in a place surrounded by all of your best friends.

Best, Hilary Burns Editor-in-chief Old Gold & Black

&

O ld G old B lack LUCK OF THE DRAW HILARY BURNS Editor-in-chief

JULIE HUGGINS Print managing editor

AARON COLSTON Online managing editor

Production: Molly Dutmers, Daniel Schwindt, Ade Ilesamni, Ty Kraniak, Kristopher Kolb, Ian Rutledge, Austin Cook, Nick Weldon, Sarah Moran, Emma Skeels, Harsh Patolia, Max Wohlmuth Photography and Graphics: Clare Stanton, Elizabeth Ropp

Luck of the Draw is a special publication of the Old Gold & Black, published by Triangle Printing of Durhman. If you have any questions are comments, email burnhs0@ wfu.edu. To subscribe, please send $75 to P.O. Box 7569, Winston-Salem, NC 27109. © 2103 WFU Media Board.

All rights reserved.

Housing Tabloid | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | Tabloid Page 3

What’s Inside: Welcome Letter

2

Coolest Dorms Luck of the Draw

Poteat & Kitchen

Efrid & Huffman

Taylor & Davis

New Dorms

8-9

Palmer, Piccolo & Luter

10

Polo & Martin

11

North Campus Apartments & Theme

Deacon Station & Crowne Park

12

4 5 6 7

13

Crowne Polo & Crowne Oakes

14

Student Apartment Updates

15

Molly Dutmers/Old Gold & Black

Page 4| Thursday, March 28, 2013

Old Gold & Black | Housing Tabloid

BEST ROOM DESIGN

Sophomores Samuel Best and Matt Laws have made a sitting area including a table/chest that Laws built himself.

Sophomores Devon Bentivegna and Emma Stockert have created personal reading areas by lofting both of their beds in their Kitchin dorm room.

Junior Kerrigan O’Malley has created a preppy haven that is pretty in pink in her single in Davis.

WORD IN THE DORMS

“If you want a single but don’t mind living hall style, Huffman and Efird are your best bet. Make sure you have an alternate plan as plans with friends can and will fall apart at the last minute. When transitioning to north campus, make sure you remember to wake up for classes and leave your dorm earlier.”

Amelia Knight (‘14)

“One of the best parts about living on the upper quad is that you are pretty close to almost everything. However, the living spaces aren’t as nice and are less comfortable.

During registration, make sure to pick someone to room with that you think will make a good roommate. Don’t room with someone just because they are one of your closest friends because you may not be compatible.”

Alex Taber (‘15) “Don’t have your heart set on anything as your plans may have to change during registration. I would recommend going to Residence Life & Housing as they can be a big help in making sure that things go according to plan. Living higher up means that you don’t have to deal with noise problems but there are no working elevators so plan on doing a lot of walking, especially when doing laundry.”

Alison Fieldhouse (‘15)

Housing Tabloid | Old Gold & Black

BY DANIEL SCHWINDT News Editor schwd11@wfu.edu The first word that comes to mind when describing Poteat Hall is adequate. Poteat Hall, one of the four dorms on the main quad, has several advantages going for it, but there are a number of drawbacks and as a result Poteat is very much a “meh” dorm. It’s no Polo, but it does the job.

Like other main quad dorms, Poteat is located in a prime location. If you count yourself among the lucky souls who have windows to Hearn Plaza, you can enjoy the sights and even sit out on the roof above the post office, which will become a new lounge space containing a pizza joint net year.

“It is close to classes, Reynolda, Subway and basically the center of campus,” sophomore Brandon West said.

Poteat also has its own lounge space located on the side closest to Wingate Road. There is a very small kitchen in the lounge, but few people use it and it is quite exposed to the rest of the lounge.

There is a flat screen TV and a Ping-Pong table and a few high-top tables, but these furnishings are understandably underwhelming and the lounge is very rarely filled with residents. The problem might be resolved with the new lounge space that will take up the post office.

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | Tabloid Page 5

Another big advantage to living in Poteat is the suite style of the rooms. Suite style, to those unfamiliar, is a great way to bond with friends. You all will be sharing a small hallway and a bathroom, so it certainly helps build a small community atmosphere. Poteat has five- and six-man suites available. The six-man suites have two doubles and two singles and the five-man suites either have an RA living in one single or have one handicap-friendly room that connects to another suite and so is much more spacious.

The rooms are still somewhat spacious when compared to some other main quad dorms such as Efird or Huffman, but they are slightly smaller than rooms in South Campus dorms and certainly smaller than the rooms on north campus. The furnishings are of course sparse.

You are given a desk, bunked beds, dressers and a shared small closet.

The most glaring problem with Poteat is its age. Built in the 1950s, Poteat hasn’t really been updated. As a result, the plumbing tends to leak, especially from the pipes that feed into air conditioners, and the hot water that comes out of the faucets is practically scalding. Mold has also been a concern. “I think people who have allergies to mold might have some problems living here,” sophomore Ian Rosner said. The staircases are extremely dirty and leak rainwater occasionally, and, if you live next to Kappa Sig be prepared for some broken glass, trash and a general mess.

KITCHIN

Hannah Smith/Old Gold & Black

POTEAT

BY IAN RUTLEDGE Executive News Editor rutlig11@wfu.edu

Location, location, location.

That’s what its all about when deciding where to live, right?

If that’s true, then Kitchin is one of the best dorms on campus.

Its short distance to the pit, upper quad and most of the academic buildings make it easy to roll out of bed 10 minutes before class and still get there on time, to grab a snack on the way to class or to go get a package from the post office when you get the email alert five minutes before the post office closes.

Living in Kitchin also gives you easy access to one of the main social hubs of campus, due to the presence of four different fraternity lounges in the dorm.

However, be prepared to possibly trade off a few hours of sleep on a Wednesday, Friday or Saturday for this ease of access (or just invest in some earplugs before moving in).

The layout of the majority of suites is a small hallway to which two double bedrooms and two single bedrooms are connected, with a bathroom at the end of the hall.

Also, the double rooms are already very small so if you decide to debunk your beds, be prepared to sacrifice a good amount of your floor space.

Laney Vaughne/Old Gold & Black

Oh, and did I forget to mention you only get one closet for two people so you may want to start cutting down on the size of your wardrobe now.

That being said, the singles are actually a decent size. You can live comfortably and get the same closet space as those who live in the doubles, as an added bonus.

Furthermore, although I’ve never had any major issues with the bathroom situation, it can get a little cramped, with only two sinks and one shower for six people, so you may want to coordinate and make sure you and your suitemates don’t all have to wake up at the same time.

When selecting to live in Kitchin, you should also be prepared to have do laundry in what looks like an axe murder’s hideout from the movies.

(Here’s a tip: don’t carry your overstuffed laundry bag across the courtyard to the sketchy staircase in the middle of the courtyard. Instead, use the corner staircase to get to the back door to the laundry room.)

Despite the small size and what can be sometimes an extremely noisy dorm, I have loved my time in Kitchin.

Its location on campus is extremely convenient and being so close to the social center of campus is great, so I highly recommend looking at Kitchin as a possibility for your housing pick next year.

Tabloid Page 6 | Thursday, March 28, 2013

EFIRD

BY MOLLY DUTMERS Life Editor dutmmk11@wfu.edu

Molly Dutmers/Old Gold & Black

BY SARAH MORAN Asst. News Editor morase12@wfu.edu There is a new center of campus and that is Huffman Hall.

With the addition of the new business school, Huffman Hall is now in a prime location, close to the business school, new dining hall and the lower quad.

Location, location, location, right?

If you choose to live in Huffman, you’ll be close to all of the food option on campus. It’s located right down the quad from Subway and is close to the new north campus dining areas as well as the Pit, your dining options are numerous.

And with the new on campus restaurant going in right next-door in what was the post office, all of your dining cravings will be satisfied.

No need to worry about being kept up all night or your studies interrupted by bumping frat music. There are no fraternity or sorority lounges located underneath Huffman, only the themed housing of T.R.E.E., a community centered around tolerance, respect, education and the on-campus environment. How could they not be great to live with?

Unfortunately your naps may be interrupted by the loud bells in Wait Chapel that ring every afternoon at 5 p.m. exactly. But, you should probably be doing work anyway!

Old Gold & Black | Housing Tabloid

Do you enjoy cramped spaces? The smell of stale odors? Or bathroom stalls so small you cannot even close the door!?! Well, then the lovely Efird Residence Hall is the place for you!

But if you are anything like me or the average person and you do not find these charming characteristics attractive, then I would strongly advise against choosing Efird as your home for the 2013-2014 school year. While Efird residence hall is located on the beautiful and historic Hearn Plaza – no central location can make up for the day-to-day struggles of living in this decrepit ghost town. Words cannot describe the rush of anger and disappointment that I felt upon first walking into my room in late August. And the best word to describe my feelings is four letters and requires my mother to wash my mouth out with soap if I uttered it.

I had unluckily chosen one of Efird’s triangular rooms. So if you have the misfortune of living here next year, do not choose any rooms that end in 17, because that is where Efird curves so all of those rooms are oddly shaped and cruelly small. When my parents visited they couldn’t believe that they were actually paying for me to live in this room that would be considered “cruel and unusual punishment”

Huffman is also home to the Healthy Living Housing Block. It provides a great option for those seeking substance free housing.

If you like a small environment, Huffman is the place for you. Limited with the capacity of 82 people, there is no need to worry about large groups of people coming through reeking havoc. Huffman is co-ed corridor style with single gender bathrooms located on each hall.

People like me who let their dirty laundry pile up until it resembles the leaning tower of Piza may not be impressed by the laundry room in Huffman. The laundry room located on the ground floor only has 2 washers and 2 driers, making it difficult for us once a month laundry people to get it done in an efficient amount of time. But, you one-load-of-laundry a couple times a week people will be in great hands at Huffman. Maybe the laundry procrastinators can learn, or be forced, into doing laundry more regularly and keeping your room smelling cotton fresh.

Those of you looking for a double room should definitely consider Huffman. Unlike some other residence halls, Huffman’s doubles have two individual closets instead of one, keeping you and your roommate from battling for clothes space.

So when you are deciding where you are living next year, consider Huffman Hall as one of your options and get ready for food, bells and closet space to accompany throughout the year.

for a death row inmate. The facilities in Efird are in severe need of renovation. So thanks for renovating Student Apartments while I cannot even close the door to the bathroom stall Wake. Only half of the water fountains in the building work, the heating in some of the rooms is berserk and do not even get me started about the laundry room.

Efird’s laundry room only has two washers and dryers. Now, Efird keycards work in Taylor’s laundry room, but seriously who is going to drag their clothes to the entirely opposite side of another building? Laundry is an all day event in Efird because the dryers are so old that you have to dry everything twice.

That’s two 61-minute cycles.

In addition to the outdated facilities, Efird also lacks a sense of community or social life.

In Efird, which is mostly singles, everyone keeps to themselves and you have to go out of your way to meet your fellow inmates.

Also, very few people actually know where Efird Hall is. So if you live here next year be prepared to tell everyone who asks where you live, “Efird. The one next to Wait Chapel.”

Also, never and I mean NEVER tell a pledge driver you live in Efird, it just causes too much confusion. When fratting, ask to be picked up elsewhere.

So I wish you a happy housing registration.

And may the odds that you do not live in Efird be ever in your favor.

HUFFMAN

Elizabeth Ropp/Old Gold & Black

Housing Tabloid | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | Tabloid Page 7

TAYLOR

BY MAX WOHLMUTH Sports Editor wohlmj11@wfu.edu Sitting to one side of Wait Chapel is Taylor Residence Hall. The rooms in Taylor are similar to the other residence halls on the upper quad. Each suite features two double rooms, two single rooms and a bathroom. The rooms come standard with desks, drawers, a microwave and a fridge.

Although this does not sound very exciting, Taylor allows you to live with five of your friends and they are all right next door. Although the rooms, like most dorm rooms, are not huge, if everything is arranged correctly, you can end up with quite a bit of space.

Aside from the standard dorm rooms, there are a few other features that help the overall experience of living in Taylor.

First, Campus Grounds, the student run coffee shop, is located in Taylor. Instead of having to walk all the way to Starbucks for a cup of coffee, Campus Grounds is a short walk from your suite. Plus, Campus Grounds has lots of tables, chairs and couches that can be used for studying or for just hanging out.

Campus Grounds is also open until around one a.m. so you have a comfortable and convenient location to study late at night.

Next, Taylor has one of the nicest residence hall lounges on the upper quad. The lounge is located in the center of the whole complex.

Like Campus Grounds, the lounge has tables, chairs and couches for studying.

Even better, the lounge is open 24/7 for residents of Taylor. The lounge also has a room in the center with a piano for any music lovers. There is also a small kitchen that can be used for baking or cooking, if you like to make your own food.

As college students, we are all prone to late night food cravings. Well, Taylor is in a great location for that too.

The POD and Subway located in Davis Residence Hall. Although they are located in another building, residents of Taylor have to walk three minutes at most to reach the POD and Subway. Plus, both are open 24/7 so food is always accessible whenever you are hungry. Although Davis may have an advantage in having the Subway and the POD inside their walls, Taylor’s location still puts students very close.

Finally, Taylor also houses the campus bookstore. Although very exciting, there is a benefit to living in Taylor at the beginning of each semester. Students are able to buy their books and do not have to lug them across the quad to their rooms.

Plus, the bookstore sells all the school supplies. Whether you happen to run out of pens or need a new notebook, students are a short distance away.

All in all, Taylor is one of the better options for living on the upper quad.

DAVIS

BY LAUREN LUKACSKO Graphics Editor lukalr9@wfu.edu

Clare Stanton/Old Gold & Black

After living in the hall style of most of the first year dorms, Davis Hall is a perfect housing option for anyone looking to ‘move up on campus,’ so to speak. Rooming operates in a suite style from four to six and even nine people sharing a bathroom. Suites allow for a more intimate setting than hall style dorms, especially if you can get a group of friends together.

My freshman roommate and I decided to room together our sophomore year in Davis.

Our room overlooked the courtyard, a place that I used often when I wanted a little me time away from the suite but still be able to sit around in my pjs without feeling like a spectacle for the rest of campus. That courtyard also came in handy when the oh so welcome fire alarm pulled me out of my shower; it is considerably less embarrassing standing in front of a hundred or so other students than, for instance, those tour groups with everyone and their mothers (literally).

The six of us were not all best friends by any means, but we ended up getting along well. Often, bored of my room but not wanting to walk the few feet to Campus Grounds or Starbucks, I would walk over to one of the other girls’ rooms for a quick chat. The

Clare Stanton/Old Gold & Black

atmosphere in Davis helps to facilitate this intimacy, and I always felt at home.

But even if you aren’t familiar with everyone in your suite, Davis provides the opportunity for singles within the suites. If you don’t have a roommate or feel like getting to know someone new, you can have your own space without feeling completely disconnected from everyone else.

Aside from Davis’ intimate setting within the dorm itself, Davis is situated in an ideal spot on campus. It sits right above the newly refurbished Subway/POD and is between the Quad and its namesake, Davis Field. As Davis Field holds constant activities in the tale end of spring semester, living in Davis I was never far from the bustle of campus life. Of course, the tail end of spring semester also found me in my room finishing final projects. I used to love leaving our window open and still feeling like I was a part of the action.

Davis is also a perfect location for anyone with classes both in Scales and on the Magnolia Quad — no more worrying about getting up unnecessarily early for class. We all know Wake is by no means a big campus, but when I look back on the trek I used to make in 30 degree weather from Johnson to Scales for an 8 a.m. dance class, I was more than thankful the next year to have a minor reprieve. Smack in the middle of campus, Davis solved all of my travel problems.

Page 8 | Thursday, March 28, 2013

Old Gold & Black | Page 9

Living in the new dorms If you’re lucky you could be here ...

Inside the New Dorms

Inside the New Dorms

- Finish date: August 2013

- Building Features:

- Capacity: 241 rooms each

- Large lounge

- Living: Suite style - four through eights students in different suites Kitchenette will have a minifridge and microwave Small living room area will have couches and dinette table Sketch courtesy of Wake Forest University

BY AARON COLSTON Online Managing Editor colsaj0@wfu.edu The eyesores of campus will soon be the most sought after places of residence for students. The new residence halls on north campus will open August 2013. The new suite style housing complex offers a mixture of singles and doubles for exactly 482 upper class undergraduates’ students.

With the temporary closing of Student Apartments, this dorm is opening at the perfect time. The new residence halls still have yet to be named, but they are sure to be prime real-estate for students living on campus.

These new facilities also have new surrounding locations that only add to the immense benefits of living there. These dorms are a short walk to the new business school, Farrell Hall. Also, in January 2014, a new

dining facility will open in an adjoining lot. The new dining facilities will offer a range of food options from sit-down meals to a convenience store.

Many students are pleased that a new dining hall will be built by the new dorms. “I am happy that there is going to be a new dining hall because sometimes the Pit can get really crowded, which is a big inconvenience when you can’t get a table to sit,” sophomore Sean Taylor said.

The new residence hall also has many new amenities for students to use.

There will be study rooms both private and public for students. In addition to scholarly benefits, students can also expect recreational spaces in the new dorms. Recreation lounges with foosball and ping pong tables along with media rooms for group movie nights with friends.

There are three distinct floor plans that students can choose from. They vary in terms of the amount of sin-

gles and doubles. Each suite does feature a common living area with ample seating and a shared bathroom, two in some cases, amongst the suite. Unlike Polo, there is not a fully functioning kitchen in each suite; however, each floor does have a large kitchen as well as a kitchenette. There will be a microwave and micro fridge for minor cooking task.

There will also be two organizational lounge spaces in each dorm, for a total of four.

Block housing is available for students making it possible for any student to choose from three to eight people to live with. Making these dorms another options for Greek organizations as well.

The two new residence halls will also be energy efficient. They are designed to meet the silver-level of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

The new dorms will be places made for students to socialize and study, while simultaneously building a

sense of community amongst those who live there.

Sophomore Caroline Cheek agrees.

“I would really like to live in the new dorms because they are going to be really nice and I think it is a good thing that they are making a new living space for everyone because it will help build community,” Cheek said.

This new addition between Polo Residence hall and Wait Chapel will further bridge the gap between north campus and south campus, as Wake continues to grow to meet the needs to students.

With the new three year residency plan, this dorm will be a great option for student. For rising seniors and juniors (and even sophomores if you are lucky) this new residence hall is great new compensatory living space.

Although construction on campus is never pretty, these new additions to campus will surely be worth the wait and the temporary hassle.

- Media and recreation room - Large main kitchen - Study rooms of various sizes with wall-to-wall magnetic white boards - Lounge spaces with kitchens larger than those in the rooms Graphic by Elizabeth Ropp/Old Gold & Black

Tabloid Page 10 | Thursday, March 28, 2013

Old Gold & Black | Housing Tabloid

PALMER & PICCOLO

BY ANGELA CHRISTIANO Staff Writer chriap11@wfu.edu

Claire Sheridan/Old Gold & Black

BY EMMA SKEELS Asst. Life Editor skeeer12@wfu.edu Luter Residence Hall is a co-ed suite style dorm with four floors. In addition to a students, Luter also houses the Greek service organization lounge. Previously, Luter has been a freshmen-only dorm. However, next year it will house some seniors in addition to freshmen. The floors and halls are usually single-sex, but this year both wings of the basement were co-ed.

Luter suites consist of two rooms connected by a bathroom, unless you are lucky one of the lucky few who get a corner room, which comes with your own bathroom. The bathrooms are pretty tiny, and consist of a shower and a toilet (and also a heat lamp, so you aren’t freezing the minute you step out of your hot shower).

Maids come once a week to clean the bathrooms and supply new toilet paper rolls. Most of the cleaning staff are very friendly and nice.

The rooms are fairly spacious, with dimensions of 15’ L X 12’ 6” W X 8’ H. With a little creativity, you can unbunk your beds and have some spare floor space. The rooms come with two closets, two sets of drawers, and a sink outside the bathroom to satisfy all your toothbrushing needs. There is one long desk in the room that sits two chairs.

There is one telephone jack, and 4-6 outlets depending on the room.

If you are looking to get the full forest experience at Wake Forest, look no further! Arnold Palmer and Brian Piccolo Residence Halls offer just the green scenery you are looking for.

Approximately nine minutes and 33 seconds from the center of campus (when walking at a moderate pace), Palmer and Piccolo Halls offer a tranquil and quiet environment for its residents.

With a close proximity to the Reynolda Trails and the Miller Center and the inclusion of several amenities such as a basketball, volleyball and tennis court, Piccolo and Palmer offer the perfect housing for those who are one with nature or just simply enjoy staying fit. In fact, both residence halls were built with the intention of housing athletes due to the proximity to the athletic facilities.

Palmer and Piccolo offer an accommodating life in the “boondocks,” with ample study and social lounge space and a media room in the corridor-style facilities. All that is missing is a convenience store. Actually, some sort of food store is greatly needed considering how far the residence halls are from civilization.

On the bright side, all the rooms come with a complimentary sink, which all the dorms on the upper quad lack.

Luter has a media room, a big kitchen in the basement, and a sundeck. The sundeck is great for sunbathing and spying on people, but it and the media room are frequently closed if the residents misbehave. This depends on your GHD, but if it’s the same one next year as it is currently, you can expect that your sundeck and media room privileges will be revoked a lot. There is at least one lounge on each floor, and the size of these varies depending on the number of people in your hall. There’s also a kitchen on each floor.

Many people also like Luter because of it’s good location. “I like how it’s part of South Campus, so it’s really close to our campus, but it’s not too close,” said freshman Shelby Lockhart. Luter is near the library, Tribble and Benson, and not too far from the other academic buildings. It’s fairly far from the gym and Wait Chapel.

One detriment about Luter is that it hosts a lot of events because of its spacious lobby area.

If you want to attend this event, this aspect of Luter is perfect. If not, however, it can be a little strange. “It can be weird if you don’t want to go to them or you’re not involved in the organization who’s hosting them. You just walk into the lobby and they’re right there,” said Lockhart.

Although there are a few small annoyances about living in Luter, there are many advantages. Overall, Luter is a great place to live, whether you’re a senior or a freshman.

“The dorms are clean and the rooms are nice, but it’s also so isolated from the rest of campus,” sophomore Melissa Moran, a Piccolo resident, said.

Although, the Palmer/Piccolo community is not ideal for returning students, it seems to be a good place for transfer students to live.

“The hall structure is like freshman halls so you can get to know the people you’re living with. I feel that all the transfer girls in Piccolo, really bonded,” added Moran.

Transfer student Alex Smith agreed that Palmer/Piccolo made his transition to Wake Forest significantly easier.

“I think that it was beneficial having the transfer students placed together as well as with other returning students,” Smith said.

“It enables me to get to know a more diverse group of people and adjust quickly.”

“Unfortunately, Piccolo is the place where you end up when you receive a bad housing lottery number for your sophomore year,” resident Annie McNeil, a sophomore, said.

“That was my experience, but Piccolo can be fun when you have a group of friends living there with you.”

“It is kind of far from everything on campus, but when the weather is nice, you hardly notice the distance ... it’s actually an enjoyable walk.”

Despite complaints about isolation, Piccolo and Palmer offer a close-knit community with a calm and peaceful environment.

LUTER

Emma Skeels/Old Gold & Black

Housing Tabloid | Old Gold & Black

BY AUSTIN COOK Asst. News Editor cookar12@wfu.edu If you’re looking for a residence hall that’s a bit more secluded than most of the others, you may want to check out Martin. A relatively new dorm (finished in 1994), it’s coed, suite style and houses 95 upperclassmen.

Even though it’s a bit of a trek all the way to the lower quad for classes, it offers spacious rooms in a smaller setting; but with a Greek lounge present, there’s still plenty of party to go around. Martin is located on north campus in between Polo and the North Campus Apartments.

It features a more apartment-style setting while still being a part of the university campus. Each floor wing has three rooms (five doubles and a single) as well as a hall bathroom.

The double rooms are moderately spacious, but nothing too crazy.

The biggest pitfall of living in Martin is the long march down to south campus for classes and food.

Needless to say, a pair of boots and a warm coat for the winter are essential.

If you do manage to survive stumbling down to the quad in the blizzard, blistering wind or torrential downpour, a biology midterm should be a piece of cake.

Next year, the building will host the Kappa Beta Gamma lounge and halls, so there will

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | Page 11

still be plenty of excitement and entertainment. If that’s not enough for you, fear not; the DKE house on Polo is just a stone’s throw away, and even closer are the North Campus Apartments.

It is important to point out that many of the recent break-ins on campus have occurred on north campus, and Martin is usually a top target.

Freshman Olivia Wolff, who wants to live in Martin next year, recognized that safety is a bit of a concern for her.

“I’m excited to live in Martin next year because it’s more of an apartment style feel.

However, I am a bit apprehensive because of the recent security issues,” she said.

A whole different benefit that Martin offers (and one that partly makes up for its distance from South Campus) is its proximity to the new dining options that will include another cafeteria, an Einstein Brother’s Bagels as well as a new Starbucks.

Being that close to all of the new amenities that students have been eagerly waiting for is definitely a plus.

Overall, Martin isn’t a bad place to be. Even though it’s a bit farther from main campus (not always such a bad thing), it’s conveniently close to the new business school and dining options that will be ready for next year.

As long as you don’t mind a brisk walk to class, you won’t be suffering too much living in Martin.

POLO

MARTIN

MEENU KRISHNAN Senior Writer krism9@wfu.edu

Clare Stanton/Old Gold & Black

You’ve likely waited two or three years for this moment. The moment where you can finally call yourself a Polo resident. Trust me, the anticipation was worth it. As everyone knows, Polo is one of the better dorms on campus.

Typically home to juniors and seniors, Polo consists of two types of living arrangements: two-person suites with a double and fourperson apartments with single rooms. Both room styles have living rooms and kitchens as well.

I highly recommend the four-person apartments. And these apartments boast two bathrooms. Further, Polo is one of the few dorms on campus to have elevators, which is a blessing come laundry time, especially for fourth-floor residents. But paradise is not without flaws.

If you live in a four-person apartment, not all rooms are created equal.

Two rooms will be bigger, while two will be smaller in addition to having an awkward step in the closet that compromises storage space. Further, temperatures in Polo tend to be erratic. They can go from glacial in the wintertime to hellish during that August Winston-Salem heat. Moreover, the Polo kitchens pale in comparison to those in North Campus Apartments. The stove can take an eternity

Clare Stanton/Old Gold & Black

to heat up, so if you’re planning on cooking frequently, you might want to consider offcampus living or other on-campus options.

And you better hope that your neighbors and/or roommates are quiet because the walls in Polo are paper-thin. You will be able to hear everything going on next door; in addition, when the lounges in Martin throw parties, you will begin to rue the days Ke$ha and Katy Perry were born. The good news for Polo residents next year is that the dorm will be adjacent to the new dining hall opening in the fall. A longstanding criticism of Polo residents lies in the dorm’s distance from main campus and in particular, dining facilities, but with the new dining hall, Starbucks and Einstein Bros. Bagels in Farrell Hall, food will only be a few minutes away. Competition for a Polo room is fierce. When I lived in Polo last year, my roommates and I scored the last available four-person suite, despite one of us having one of the earliest housing times. So you better hope that someone in your housing block is a senior with a good lottery number.

Overall, Polo offers a taste of the high life on campus. But when choosing Polo, be sure to consider such factors as the smaller kitchen and longer walk to main campus. Offcampus options like Deacon’s Station provide appealing alternatives, but on campus, Polo is certainly one of the most luxurious dorms. available.

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Old Gold & Black | Housing Tabloid

N. CAMPUS APARTMENTS

BY JULIE HUGGINS Print Managing Editor huggjn0@wfu.edu

Julie Huggins/Old Gold & Black

BY ADE ILESANMI Opinion Editor ilesao11@wfu.edu For students who are interested in living on campus without feeling like everything is in arm’s reach, theme housing may be a fitting option. This housing option is intended for students who are involved in a particular organization or hold a certain doctrine or value that other students share.

One may choose to live in one of the many university-owned properties surrounding the main campus. As the name suggests, each of these houses represents a particular theme, including but not limited to, sustainability, service, diversity and theater.

Theme houses differ from other forms of offcampus housing, such as Greek housing, and they are still considered a form of on-campus housing, so living in them does not violate the university policy requiring that students live on campus for at least three years.

The term theme “housing” should not be taken literally, as houses are not the only option for students interested in this living situation. Depending on the level of interest for a particular theme house, smaller groups may live in an apartment either in Student Apartments or in North Campus Apartments.

If you are able to live in a house, however, these houses hold anywhere from four to 12

If you are looking to live on campus, forget fighting for a spot in the new dorms or Polo.

First, unless you’re a senior or rooming with one, you aren’t going to get them, and second, there is a nicer place to live: the North Campus apartments.

“It’s homey,” junior Emily Zier said. “You have your own space to do homework, cook and have a few friends over. It gives the feel of living off campus without the hassle of a daily drive and fighting for a parking spot.”

These apartments, situated along Allen Easley road behind Lot Q, are some of the nicest living arrangements Wake offers. Able to house three to four students, depending on which building you are in, the apartments feature hardwood floors, very spacious living rooms and the biggest kitchens in any dorm on campus.

And trust me; that matters. The kitchen is much larger than the ones in Polo, which feel cramped and crowded by comparison.

And, unlike the kitchenettes in Martin and the new dorms, there is a ton of counter and cabinet space, so you and your roommates can have food, glasses and your own appliances (just keep them hidden from the RA during inspections). The living rooms, complete

with university provided tables, couches and chairs, are large enough to have groups of 10 or 15 people comfortably seated without feeling the least bit overcrowded. If you push all of the furniture to one side, you can have a great space for a party. Not to mention, if someone happens to dump something on the floor or, um, have another accident, it’s easily cleaned up.

The bedrooms, too, are pretty huge. The singles don’t feel small at all, the complete opposite of the quad dorms, and if you happen to share with another person, you’ll enjoy it.

There is plenty of room to have the two beds on opposite sides of the room with two desks and storage spaces between them. The beds are built to be elevated, so you have room to stick your chest of drawers and anything else under it. The bathroom connects the two bedrooms and its facilities are fairly new.

One downside is they are more expensive than the dorms on the quad, but the price is worth it. And some may hate their location on campus, but if you get in one of the dorms near Scales (buildings three to eight), it’s not much of a hassle.

If you’re like me, and have lived in two of the smallest and oldest dorms on campus for two years (Bostwick and Poteat), the North Campus Apartments are a great change of space. These dorms house more students than Polo, so if you can get them, take the chance.

THEME HOUSES

students and may contain several double bedrooms or a combination of double and single bedrooms. Most theme houses are co-ed.

As a requirement for living in theme housing, each theme house must host at least one event for the campus, one event for the other theme houses and one event within the house each semester.

These events can be anything within the creative sphere of the tenants; however, they must be representative of the values and ideas that their respective themes represent. Theme house programming for each house is led by the houses Theme Programming Assistant, a fellow student and tenant in the house.

Despite their distance from the main campus, travel to and from the campus is still easy and simple. While most students walk — a 10 to 15-minute walk, depending on where on campus they are walking to — many students occasionally bike onto campus. There are also shuttles available to transport students to and from campus during the scheduled times.

If you are interested in living in a theme house next year, information for existing theme housing can be found online on the university’s Residence Life & Housing page.

If the existing theme housing options do not seem to fit your interests, you may apply to create a new theme house. The approval process is relatively easy as long as you garner enough interest.

Ade Ilesanmi/Old Gold & Black

Housing Tabloid | Old Gold & Black

BY RENEE SLAWSKY Senior Writer slawrb9@wfu.edu If you are lucky enough to live in Deacon’s Station, you are lucky enough. These are by far the nicest off-campus housing options for students and you would probably only be the second person to live in your unit. Located off of Owen Drive, which is off of Polo Road across Reynolda Road, they are very close to the university and very luxurious.

Each apartment unit in Deacon’s Station has four bedrooms — one on the main floor (with by far the largest bathroom) and three upstairs (one with a bathroom attached and two with bathrooms across the hall). Each room is on an individuallease basis, so you don’t have to worry about splitting rent or utilities because everyone is responsible for their own payments. Also, each unit has four and a half baths. Yes, you get a half-bath. It is a very real-worldly experience to have a half-bath. The central living room and kitchen area comes fully furnished with nice couches, a table and four chairs, chairs for the countertop, a refrigerator and all those other necessary kitchen appliances as well as a flat screen television. Also, there is a dishwasher and a garbage disposal — both invaluable things to have. The rooms also come furnished

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | Tabloid Page 13

DEACON’S STATION

with a bed frame, and mattress, desk and chair and dresser drawers. Each room has a decently-sized closet as well. Additionally, each unit has a washer and dryer upstairs.

The fact that you don’t have to buy a mattress and a desk and all that junk is probably the best thing about Deacon’s Station, because you don’t have to worry about any of that once it’s time to move out.

Not that you would want to really leave your bed and the abundant comfort of your room, but if you were to venture over to the clubhouse at Deacon’s Station, you probably wouldn’t want to leave there either.

Impeccably decorated, the clubhouse has a coffee bar, huge media room, a place with a pool table and an air hockey table, and a great study room. Also, there is a workout room with three treadmills, a bunch of elliptical machines and other workout equipment. Behind the clubhouse, there is a lovely outdoor area with lots of lounge chairs, two grills and a resort-style pool.

Another thing to know about Deacon’s Station is that there is a very reliable shuttle that runs from the complex to various points on campus all day long. Another tangential thing to note, there is a lot of parking in Deacon’s Station, but sometimes it can get crowded and spots may be hard to find.

If you can, live in Deacon’s Station. It is absolutely worth it.

CROWNE PARK

BY SCOTT FRANKEL Staff Writer frankcj9@wfu.edu

Photo courtesy of crownepartners.com

After going abroad during the fall of my junior year, I needed somewhere to live for the spring semester 2012. I hesitated to return on-campus because I did not want to room with a stranger, so I chose to move into Crowne Park with a friend who had also been abroad. I was thoroughly satisfied with my decision to move to Crowne Park and went on to return to the complex for my senior year.

The Crowne Park apartments are both modern and spacious. Having previously lived in Babcock and Davis residence halls, the relatively new amenities were a breath of fresh air. The oversized living room and individual bedrooms provide most students with more space than needed.

Unlike Deacon’s Station or any on-campus dorm, the apartments in this gated community are unfurnished. Crowne Park management, however, facilitates the process by providing residents with outside furniture rental companies.

As far as being off-campus goes, the location of Crowne Park is about as good as any other option. The apartment complex is right off Fairlawn Drive, which conveniently connects Reynolda Road and Silas Creek Parkway. Crowne Park is also the midpoint for the Wake Forest’s Gold Line shuttle service to campus, so the ride to and from campus is less than 15 minutes. The shuttle runs on a 30 minute cycle and is usually on-time and reliable;

Photo courtesy of deaconstation.com

however, access to a car tends to be more important to off-campus students than on-campus students.

Without regular access to a car, on-campus housing may be more practical, although not necessary.

Another difference between on and off-campus housing is the integration of community members.

Living in Crowne Park, one can expect to find a mixture of families and older couples in addition to fellow Wake Forest students as neighbors.

The management seems to, for the most part, separate Wake students from others, so Crowne Park feels very much like an extension of the Wake Forest campus bubble.

Furthermore, for the second consecutive year, management has successfully responded to the request of my friends and me to live in nearby apartments. Last year, my roommate and I lived diagonally above our other friends.

This year, my roommates and I live directly next door to my brother and other friends which allows us to jump from apartment to apartment easily.

Management treats their residents well. They provide assistance when requested with little delay, which makes students comfortable to ask for help with a leaky faucet or faulty dishwasher.

Crowne Park provides students with a nice, clean living-space. Students are able to live off-campus without feeling stranded from other Wake Forest students. Overall, I have greatly enjoyed my time living in Crowne Park and would recommend the complex to any student who is looking to live offcampus.

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Old Gold & Black | Housing Tabloid

CROWNE POLO

BY HILARY BURNS Editor-in-chief burnhs0@wfu.edu

Hilary Burns/Old Gold & Black

I moved into Crowne Polo this January after I came back from studying abroad. When I walked into the large, empty apartment, I was apprehensive about finding affordable furniture to fill the space, but it was easier than anticipated. Thanks to affordable antique stores on Stratford Road, Target and Super Walmart, we successfully decorated our apartment with enough pink for our liking.

For the first time at Wake, I look forward to spending time in my room. I no longer share a glorified closet space with another person, and there are no more RA’s screaming at us to remove sneakers from Kithchin’s hallways because of “fire hazards.” It has been a much more enjoyable experience living in Crolo than Babcock and Kitchen.

We started the apartment decorating with the basics: a television, sofas, beds, desks and drawers. From there, we added accents of color and personality. It all went smoothly besides one argument over pink and green pom-pom-like curtains and some pillows my roommate made with staples. We found comfortable sofas at Job Lot and our living room has now become the place our friends come for movie nights. The set up of the apartments in Crowne Polo are perfect for

college students. There is a living room large enough for all of our friends to hang out in comfortably. The kitchen has room for a dining table and enough storage space for our minimal cooking supplies. There are two full bathrooms and a laundry room for the three-bedroom apartments.

Crowne Polo provides contact information for washer and dryer rental companies that are affordable and reliable. I no longer have to go down four flights of stairs to throw my laundry in. I find myself living a healthier lifestyle ever since I moved off campus. Having your own bathroom and bedroom decreases the chance of constant contact with these nasty germs.

Also, it is so much more relaxing to come home to my own space after a busy day of classes, meetings and studying. I can light a candle and put on whatever music I want without constantly thinking of my roommate’s needs or schedule. We all need alone time during these stressful college years.

Of course, there are down sides to moving away from campus. You are physically separate from the excitement on campus. My friends and I who live in Crolo have a carpool system for weekend nights. But then one person always wakes up car-less and abandoned away from campus in the morning. Also, for those mornings you just can’t get out of bed, you can no longer wake up and make it to class in five minutes.

CROWNE OAKES

BY CLARE STANTON Photo Editor stance0@wfu.edu Crowne Oaks, located down Bethabara road off of University Parkway, is the easiest of the three Crowne properties to access from campus. Like the other Crownes, Croaks is a gated community with about 15 buildings containing single, double and triple bedroom apartments.

Each unit has a common living space, bathrooms and a kitchen. The layouts are basic and relatively spacious, but make sure you request one of the newly renovated buildings (ex. the 1100 building has not been updated and has kitchens reminiscent of the one in Fight Club).

Some units have fireplaces and all include a patio area. The rooms are large enough to have at least a full size bed along with a desk, armchair, bookshelves and chest of drawers.

Closets are laid out strangely but are fairly large.

The residents of Crowne Oaks are mostly Wake Forest students, although there are a couple of small families living there too. The large population of Wake kids results in a pretty visible party scene.

Be prepared to have beer bottles smashed on your parking space on any given Friday, Saturday or Sunday morning. There will be after parties happening in your building.

You will have pledge driver headlights shining in your window at 4 a.m. If you want a quiet, out of the way place to live, then head over to Crowne Polo.

That being said, the upside to Crowne Oaks is that you are also very likely to know your neighbors. The open, outward facing patios are a great place to hang out when the weather is warm and you will absolutely be conversing with the people next door.

Additionally, there is a common area at the clubhouse that includes a tennis court, gym and swimming pool that are available to all residents. The pool attracts everyone as soon as the weather gets warm and it is always a fun time to hang out with a bunch of Wake kids on a Saturday afternoon. Alcohol is allowed poolside as long as it is not in a glass bottle and there are grills available if you want to cook out.

There’s usually plenty of parking if you have a car and if not, there is a Wake Line shuttle that runs during the week so you can get to class easily. Crowne Oaks is a great alternative to an off campus house with its affordable rent, easy access and community feeling.

If you’re still unsure as to whether Crowne Oakes is the place for you, don’t forget to check the school website for more information and to simply ask your fellow students because somebody you know probably knows somebody who has partied or slept over there before.

Clare Stanton/Old Gold & Black

Housing Tabloid | Old Gold & Black

Thursday, March 28, 2013 | Tabloid Page 15

What’s new with Student Apartments?

BY JULIE HUGGINS Print Managing Editor huggjn0@wfu.edu Were you thinking of living with one friend in the Student Apartments next year?

Excited to have both a single and a living room with a little kitchenette on the north side of campus, away from all of the raucous on the Upper Quad but not so far you can’t join in if you want?

Near other upperclassman and far enough away from the freshman dorms that you wouldn’t have to see them if you didn’t want to?

Well, you can’t.

Sorry.

It’s not because you’re a freshman or your registration time is pretty much dead last. It’s because the Student Apartments, located next to the North Campus Apartments and behind Polo, are going to be closed next fall for renovations.

So if you were planning on being here next fall, these kind of nice, kind of nasty apartments won’t be available.

But if you’re going abroad in the fall and are looking for a place to stay in the spring, the Student Apartments, all newly renovated and hopefully clean, will be open (along with a brand new dining hall on North Campus, you lucky dog) for student living.

I talked to Donna McGalliard, the Dean of Residence Life & Housing, to see what students going abroad in the fall could expect from these newly renovated apartments.

The roofing and windows in both complexes will be replaced with newer, sturdier materials.

The wood flooring, original to the buildings, will be pulled out and redone.

The kitchenette will not only be updated with new appliances but also remodelled.

Photos courtesy of Residence Life & Housing