<p>OK, here’s the scoop. My son said he first checked on myBama and got confirmation. To do this, log on, click the housing application link in the center of the home page, select Fall 2012/Spring 2013, then click on room assignment.</p>
<p>About an hour after he confirmed on myBama, my son got an e-mail from Alicia Browne notifying him of his assignment. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Ms. Browne emailed the room assignment to me, then D got online later and checked mybama and saw the switch had been made.</p>
<p>She was on the phone all night long with friends convincing them to call or email in the morning and get switched.</p>
<p>Be sure to check and see if there’s a summer payment obligation, if the lease if for a year. </p>
<p>There was one for The Bluff when Bama students took that option. Exceptions were made for summer abroad and graduation, otherwise you had to pay for summer and housing scholarships didn’t cover that. </p>
<p>So, check to be sure. There may be good news that this apt complex is just happy to get the 2 semesters paid for…or they may be expecting summer to be an added charge.</p>
<p>Thanks malanai and BAMAMom2Be. There may be some confusion with my son’s switch because his email to Ms. Browne was also seeking to determine if he could move in directly from his summer dorm and Ms. Browne wasn’t sure that he could. He may need to clarify that he wants to switch regardless of the move in situation.</p>
<p>As for summer, I think the email was pretty clear that the students would only be obligated for the two semesters, but it would be great for my son if there is a summer option since he plans on staying on campus for summer research every summer.</p>
<p>Direct leases with East Edge run August to July. For us, the ability to pick up summer housing for basically free when you consider the savings over the dorm cost was a plus. Comparing the two semester cost of a 2 bedroom super suite to the full year lease on a two person apartment at East Edge saved us over a $1,000 in rent alone. If we included the cost of summer session rent for the dorm, we were saving more than $3,000. That doesn’t include the savings on paying for doing laundry in the dorms which was getting expensive also. That cost does reflect the additional fee we are paying at East Edge for reserved, covered parking. Additionally, residents receive personal mailboxes and the office will sign for packages, so that’s a plus, too.</p>
<p>The added convenience of not having to move out and being able to come and go throughout the year was a plus for us…no more packing and hauling her things back to our home state or moving to another dorm for the summer.
She is excited to have her own bathroom and to have a full kitchen and washer and dryer in the apartment.:)</p>
<p>We dropped by while in Tuscaloosa on Saturday and were told the property was at about 60% capacity for leases as of the weekend. Construction is ongoing and is coming along nicely.</p>
<p>I vote for Malanai to be in charge of the pool party in August with a tropical theme! Welcome neighbors and Roll Tide!</p>
<p>UA housing told my son’s foursome tonight that housing was out of
four suites.</p>
<p>Bamamomof3: Don’t feel bad: my D didn’t get the email either. But after I mentioned this, she looked at the website for East Edge & said “boy, I hope they offer this again next year!”</p>
<p>Wow, looks like a mass exodus from Ridgecrest by rising juniors to the East Edge. Son says that several of his friends that were going to live in Ridgecrest next year are now moving over to East Edge. Good news for incoming freshmen that were still looking for a place to live.</p>
<p>D and her friends got the email and tried to get a 4 person apt. One issue - she wanted to move in with one other girl and two guys! Of course, housing would not allow that. By the time they found that out, all four bedroom apts were gone so they opted for a three bedroom for the girls and a three bedroom for the guys. The good news is that they both got it and it looks like they will be next door to each other!</p>
<p>My D and her roomies for next year looked into it. As it turns out, as nice as they are, they decided NOT to make the move due to the distance from campus. All are OOS and it seemed they’d have transportation issues give none of them have cars. Maybe next year. :-)</p>
<p>^^^As we say in the South, it is a far piece. Glad the Moody proximity was pointed out. Son’s freshman roommate was a music major, and luckily, he had a car, so he drove over to Moody and parked for the day. This is a great option for music majors.</p>
<p>Those who didn’t get the email, should contact Alicia Browne and find out if they can have this option. I wouldn’t wait for an email.</p>
<p>Dad2ILD makes a good point for those who won’t have cars. Yes, there is a shuttle, but those apt shuttles often don’t run at night or weekends - which can make things difficult for study groups, night classes, going to the rec center, etc. </p>
<p>Yes, you can use 348-Ride, but that isn’t time-reliable enough to rely on for getting to and from campus. You can’t book your To and From times at once…so there can be this 30+ min gap of wait time. I really wish that system would allow kids to go online and book To and From Pick-up times in advance.</p>
<p>It appeared to my son the his walking distance would be a little less than double to most of his classes and the lab he works in, with his roommates having a similar increase in their walking distance. That didn’t seem to bother them, but I don’t think they are going to accept UA Housings’ offer of splitting the four of them between two three bedroom suites. It is their assumption that UA Housing would place a third roommate in each of the suites.</p>
<p>Hi guys!
We’ve also been alerted that full XL sheets can be found at JCPenney.</p>
<p>Thanks, UA Housing, for seeking alternative housing options that work for students!</p>
<p>^x2 It’s great that UA Housing found such a nice option as a way to provide additional space for students.</p>
<p>I was wondering if UA Housing would lease spaces at East Edge as it is closer to campus than many of the other complexes and am glad to see that it did. </p>
<p>As my classes are on the opposite end of campus, I am staying on campus. It looks like I’ll be one of the few upperclassmen doing so however. Now if an RA position opened up on-campus or at East Edge (UA Housing will have employees at East Edge), I’d quickly accept the position. :)</p>
<p>It may very well be that RA positions open up because of this. My D was selected as an RA but declined it earlier so she could pick up summer housing at EE. It may be worth it for you to contact Housing about an RA position on campus. I don’t think the UA will have RA’s at EE since the complex has its own employees and CAs and an RA wouldn’t have authority over those residents leasing directly from a privately owned company such as EE.</p>
<p>The email to students announcing the availability of housing transfers to East Edge did say that there would be Residential Life staff in residence at East Edge. I presume that the RAs would only provide services to students who are leasing from the University of Alabama and not to those who are leasing directly from the complex.</p>
<p>We’re so glad that Alabama opened this option up. It will greatly simplify my music major’s life. The only thing that she didn’t enjoy about being a music major was having to deal with getting to class on the buses and the lack of available bus transportation for late night rehearsals and weekend performances. We’re crossing our fingers that East Edge remains available until she graduates!</p>
<p>seatide - go ahead and email someone about your still being interested in case they need more RAs. can’t hurt.</p>