What happens if you take Munn Ice Arena, the IM Sports-East fitness center and Residence Halls Association campus movies and place them in the middle of fully furnished apartments in a gated community with more amenities than you can count on your hands?
Capstone Commons, Melrose Apartments, The Crossing Place and The Village at Chandler Crossings, all north of Lake Lansing Road near Abbott and Chandler roads, have attempted to do just that with amenities such as covered basketball courts that covert to an ice rink in the winter and clubhouses filled with perks like a 50-seat private movie theater, big screen televisions, tanning salons and stocked game rooms.
“I love it here,” physiology junior Maggie Machala said, adding that the amenities of Crossing Place apartments were more appealing than living in residence halls. “Not only do I have my own bathroom and kitchen, but I get a free bus pass. I’m saving $50 a semester right there.”
Like Machala, many of the 2,700 Northern Tier pioneers say their new-age living quarters offer a campus lifestyle off campus - with a full bag of bonus luxuries.
These days, Machala said she only stops on campus to attend class. That’s it.
And when she’s not working or studying, her free time is spent hanging out in the clubhouse or attending parties sponsored by the complex’s management.
“There’s always something going on around here,” she said. “My friends who don’t live out here are now considering moving and have convinced other friends to do the same.”
Those managing the four newly built Northern Tier apartments say they aren’t surprised residents compare the complexes to living in the dorms.
“We offer a lot of the same amenities plus more and have many events that sort of create a similar atmosphere,” Crossing Place leasing agent Jason Haid said. “We like to show our residents that we care about them.”
Supply chain management senior Catherine Lilley applied to become the resident director at The Village at Chandler Crossings because the position came with free rent as the chief benefit. Now, she says she’s glad she did.
“I love my apartment, my job and the community,” Lilley said. “This place is always buzzing with activity.”
Lilley manages a team of seven community assistants who have jobs similar to that of a resident mentor, “except we’re not trying to patrol our residents,” she said. “Our job is to respond to emergencies and act as a liaison between our residents and management.”
The complex sponsors events that encourage residents to build relationships and act as a community, she said.
“It’s like a big family,” she said. “Residents like to come over to the clubhouse and watch popular sitcoms together in large groups. Or they just hang out in the game room, tanning salon and basketball courts.”
As far as creating an environment similar to living in the residence hall, Lilley said there’s a big difference.
“Yes there are similar amenities, but you’re on your own out here,” she said, adding that her complex refrains from regulating the lifestyle of residents.
RHA President Tim Liss said when it comes to such activities as underage drinking, it doesn’t matter where a student lives.
“Underage drinking in the residence halls is no different than underage drinking off campus,” he said. “The law is still the same, if you break it then there are consequences.”
As far as a better lifestyle off campus, Liss said students still benefit more from being on campus.
“On campus is where everything happens,” he said. “It’s much easier to stay connected to the university and activities by living on campus. Most of all transportation can become an issue off campus. It’s a lot easier to walk across campus than it is to walk across East Lansing.”
Audrey Barney can be reached at barneyau@msu.edu.
