New housing applications coming soon

By Emily Entress

Santa Clara juniors and seniors who are looking to move off campus but are also worried about losing some of the support offered by the campus community will have a new option next year: the recently finished Campbell townhouses.

The Housing Office at Santa Clara will start accepting applications next week for the newest addition to Santa Clara's housing options for upperclassmen.

"The Campbell townhome complex will offer SCU juniors and seniors a new opportunity to live in a semi-off campus community of their peers while still enjoying the support services offered by the greater campus," said Mako Ushihara, the Director of Housing Facilities for the university.     

On Feb. 1, students will be able to log onto ecampus and submit an online application, a housing contract, and a $250 deposit necessary for the first step of the application process. Then, according to the Housing website, they should hear a response regarding their room assignment three weeks after they submit their application.  

"It is nice that the townhouses seem to be like off-campus housing yet I don't have to deal with having to pay rent every month or find furniture to put in the apartment since it comes fully furnished," commented sophomore Paulina Perezalonso, who wants to live in Campbell Townhouses next year.

Junior and senior students will have the option of a one, two or four-bedroom apartment, all fully furnished upon move-in. Each room is equipped with a kitchen, complete with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, an air conditioner, a washer and dryer and a private balcony. Utilities will also be included in the price.

In line with the university's commitment to making the campus more "green," the apartments are being constructed using many environmentally friendly practices. According to Ushihara, the complex will use Energy-star rated lighting and appliances, there will be water-saving fixtures in the bathrooms and all of the interior paints and adhesives will be non-toxic. Also, there will be an abundance of trash and recycling receptacles  around the complex to promote recycling among students.

So how is this complex different from other upper class housing options such as Sobrato, Casa, or Domicilio?

First off, it is only available to Santa Clara juniors, seniors and, if there's extra room, graduate students.

Secondly, all students who live there are required to have a minimum $187 per quarter dining plan, although there are no cafeterias or eating venues located in the complex.

There will, however, be vending machines located throughout the walkways. The idea of a mandatory minimum dining plan doesn't faze all prospective students, in fact, many of them welcome the idea.

"I do like the idea of having the dinning plan included in the price because I know that there will be times on campus that I will want to grab a snack or coffee," said Perezalonzo. "However, I will be going for the apartment plan with the lowest amount of points being that I will have a brand new kitchen to cook in with my roommates."

Possibly the most unique aspect of the complex is the proposed surrounding green space filled with outdoor kitchens, patios, volleyball courts, and even a bocce ball court, all geared towards promoting a community atmosphere.  

"Since there are going to be so many recreational activities available in Campbell, I will get the RLC community feeling while in a mature setting," said sophomore Andrea Liguzinski, who plans to live in Campbell after she returns from abroad next year.

The idea for an upper class complex came about a few years ago when the Sobrato Organization approached the University and offered the complex to be used for student housing.

"The campus carefully examined the Sobrato townhome project and it's financial viability vis-à-vis our campus's desire to offer upper class students additional affordable, attractive and up-to-date on-campus apartment accommodations and moving forward made sense," said Ushihara.

It was chosen as an upperclassmen-only complex, however, because of the dangers presented having to cross the busy El Camino to access campus. It is located close to a crosswalk and a traffic signal, so the hopes are that students will cross the street safely.

Another issue presented with the construction of this complex was the noisiness of the location, between the Caltrain Railway tracks and the busy El Camino Real. To make up for this, the University hired an acoustic engineer to help plan for noise-reducing resources, such as higher sound transmission co-efficient windows and doors.  

Rates and prices for these apartments are posted on Santa Clara's Housing website.

Contact Emily Entress at eentress@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4546.