411: Mills Hall

Of the UNC Asheville residence halls that are not under construction or renovation, Mills Hall is the last residence hall left to present in the “411” housing posts.  Mills is unique to UNC Asheville dorms in that it allows students to live in suites that include a furnished common area, or den.  This type of living arrangement is ideal for a group of friends who wish to live together but do not want to move to an apartment or house off campus.  The set-up in this particular residence hall is two double rooms and a shared bathroom and common area.  One of the best things about Mills is that although the rooms are a bit smaller than those of other residence halls, there is a lot of room for storage built into the suite.  For example, the bathroom has a number of shelves and drawers in which students can keep toiletries and cosmetics; the hallway is lined with sturdy shelves for storing food, books, or kitchen supplies; and the rooms have huge wardrobes that make storing clothes and personal items a breeze.  Speaking of breezes, as the spring weather approaches, Mills residents will start spending more time enjoying the beautiful weather--perhaps over a game of volleyball at the volleyball court located behind the residence hall.  Sounds great, right?  Check out the pictures and find out for yourself!

Amenities Include:

• One microwave-refrigerator per suite
• Carpeted rooms
• A shared den/living room space
• Air-conditioning
• Laundry room
• TV lounge
• Vending area
• Several study lounges
• Computer lab with free printing (bring your own paper)
• High-speed Internet - one port per student and wireless hot spots
• Free basic cable service
• Community kitchen
• Outdoor activity/volleyball court
• Adjacent to the Highsmith University Union 

Pictures of a "typical" Mills suite

A view of Mills from the street

Here is the shared living room space; each room comes furnished with armchair, couch, coffee table (and of course the combination micro-fridge)

 The hallway leading to the double rooms has a lot of storage on these shelves; this suit is definitely taking advantage of this built-in space!

Bathroom part one

Another view of the bathroom.  They were doing dishes when I came by, but you can still see how much counter space is available here!

 A typical Mills bedroom.  Many students opt to bunk their beds to create mor space in the room.  These students have opened up the room a bit by raising their beds and storing dressers and other items in the space beneath.  

Mills got new furniture this year; you can  see the upgraded wardrobe space, dresser, and bedframes in this picture.

Finally, here is the floor plan for Mills:

 



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411: The Ridges

After a stressful week, I'm back again with another post about residence halls at UNC Asheville.  Today, I bring you "the Ridges".  South Ridge, and its counterpart, West Ridge, are identical dorms, and are situated the farthest from the academic part of campus than the other dorms.  I really like visiting my friends in “the Ridges” because the walk there takes me through one of the several wooded areas of campus, and brings me very close to the Botanical Gardens of Asheville (blog post on this to come when the flowers start blooming there).  This area of campus is tucked away from the main activity of campus, and seems to me like a small community in and of itself, a little bit like a landlocked country.  South Ridge houses 112 students and West Ridge holds 148 students, and both dorms offer the same amenities:

-One microwave-refigerator per room

-Carpeted rooms

-Air-conditioning

-Laundry room

-Community Kitchen

-TV lounge

-Vending Area

-Several study lounges

-High-speed Internet (one port per student and wireless hot spots)

-Free basic cable service

-Parking deck

Be sure to check out the photos of a typical "Ridges" room:

 A great bonus for residents of South Ridge and West Ridge: the bathrooms are huge!!

"Ridges" floor plan

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411: Founders Hall

Because housing sign up is upon us, I thought I would share with you another insider’s view of a campus residence hall, Founders Hall.  This residence hall houses 300 students in double rooms.  Each room is connected by a large bathroom with two sinks, a toilet, and a shower.  Although the residence hall may appear to be one of our oldest on the outside, I believe the furniture has recently been replaced and the floors re-carpeted.  In any case, the interior of this residence hall is very nice.  I would highly recommend living in Founders because it is close to Highsmith University Union and the Dining Hall, which is always great when you get the munchies! 

Here are some of the amenities offered to residents in Founders Hall: 

• One microwave-refrigerator per room
• Carpeted rooms
• Air-conditioning
• Open flexible closets
• Loft-able beds and desks
• Laundry room
• High-speed Internet - one port per pillow and wireless hot spots
• Basic cable provided
• Computer lab with free printing (bring your own paper)
• TV lounges
• Vending area
• Several study lounges
• Community kitchen
• Adjacent to the Highsmith University Union and the Dining Hall
• Great view of the Grove Park Inn

Check out the floor plan and the pictures below for a glimpse into a typical Founders Hall room:

View from the outside

The closets here are open and in the "entrance hallway" of the room.

Here's a closer look at the closets of Founders.

Something really great about the furniture here is that the desks are huge, which either means you can use them for storage, studying, and so forth.

As with every residence hall on campus, the beds in Founders can be raised or lowered to a desired height.  Also note the Micro-Fridge on the left.

Founders Hall, like the other residence halls, also offers a cable hookup (see TV in the corner)

Finally, check out this bed, which has been lofted to allow this resident to keep his desk under his bed and make more space in the rest of the room.

Check out this floor plan for Founders Hall:

  

As usual, if you have any questions about housing (or anything else about UNC Asheville and Asheville in general), just leave a comment! 

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411: Governor's Hall

As promised, I have more information to share with you about housing options on campus.  This post is about my residence hall, Governor's Hall, one of the most popular residence halls on campus.  I had to wait for about 8 hours on "Somewhere on Campus Day" to get in, and it has proven to be well worth the wait.  Governor's Hall contains both single and double rooms arranged in a suite, so people who want to either live alone or with a friend, (or alone but with a friend!) can find the best of both worlds here.  Two single rooms, one double room, and a spacious bathroom to each suite.  Because Governor's Hall opened in 2003, it is (for the time being!) the newest residence hall on campus, and one of the nicest.  The furniture is in excellent condition, and it is located conveniently close to the athletic center, academic buildings, and dining hall.  


Here are some of the amenities offered to residents in GH: 

• One microwave-refrigerator per room
• Carpeted Rooms
• Air-conditioning
• Laundry room
• Community kitchen (great for baking or cooking those foods you miss from home!)
• TV lounges
• Vending area
• Several study lounges
• Computer lab with free printing (bring your own paper)
• High-speed Internet - one port per student and wireless hot spots
• Basic cable service

Check out the floor plan and pictures below for a glimpse into a typical Governor's Hall suite!  

A view of Governor's Hall from the front.  The distinctive clock tower lights up at night. 

Below: views of a double room in Governor's Hall.  Comes furnished with micro-fridge, bedside table, bed, desk, chair, and dresser.

Below: pictures of a typical single room in Governor's (there are two per suite)

Here is what the typical suite bathroom looks like: two sinks with drawers built in, a toilet with its own door for privacy,  and a shower:

Finally, check out the floor plan for Governor's Hall: 

Do you have any questions about Governor's Hall?  Just leave a comment! 

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The 411 on Housing

A few days ago, I received an e-mail from the housing director reminding us that room sign-up for the 2011-2012 school year is coming up, and I thought it would be a good idea to share some information about living on campus with the readers of this blog!

First of all, you may be wondering what the housing rates are for the upcoming year. 

For double rooms, the price is $2,080/semester + the mandatory meal plan, which is $1,571/semester.

For single rooms, the rice is a little higher at $2,835/semester + the meal plan’s $1,571/semester. 

Now, here is the way that UNC Asheville handles sign-up and assignments for on-campus housing.  Although we are building a new residence hall on campus, and renovating another, there are still a limited number of spots for those students who wish to live on campus, housing it operates on a first-come, first served basis as follows:

On March 17, students will participate in “Squatter Day,” wherein they can reserve the room in which they are currently living for the next school year.  This guarantees those who want to remain on campus that, at the very least, they will have a spot, even it if is not necessarily their top choice.    

The next day, March 18, is “Same Building Day,” which allows students to move from one room to another room within that residence hall.  This also gives priority to those who arrive first.

On March 21, those students who wish to live in a different residence halls participate in “Somewhere on Campus Day,” which is the most competitive day; students arrive several hours ahead of the posted reservation time to ensure that they are able to live in the residence hall of their choice.

Finally, “I Forgot to Sign Up Day” allows students who did not remember to sign up for housing to make a reservation, provided that spaces exist.  This takes place on Tuesday, March 22^nd.

As we draw closer to the beginning of housing registration, I will share information (and lots of pictures!) about the residence halls we have on campus to let you see just where students can live, and what to expect when you come to UNC Asheville.

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