@davidlt1 I have no inside information. And yes they have stated publicly that both Foster and Mcnutt will be closed for renovations. But do the math. That’s 2/3 of the northwest neighborhood. I think they told us that Mcnutt was one of the largest dorms in the country – it’s big (1300 kids I think). And Foster isn’t small either. That’s a lot of beds that will disappear. What are they going to do with all those kids? Reduce the freshman class? I suppose they can rent RVs and put them on the tailgating lots.
It just seems to me, after they meet with contractors they may eventually piecemeal it. What can they do over summer break to get them livable? Maybe start with replacing all of the old HVAC systems, with is probably the biggest issue. Maybe start with the worst rooms and see what happens now that they are vacant. Or do a few buildings at a time during a semester.
Another question: I was hoping to live in the northwest neighborhood but now that both McNutt and Foster will be under construction, should I choose a different neighborhood or do you think the atmosphere in Briscoe still be the same as before? I am a DA to kelley and know housing fills up fast, and will fill up especially fast this year so I want to know before the application opens up. Any suggestions @dragonlady62@MomofLAA@FutureUniversity? It seems like you guys know a lot about life at IU.
I thought that I read that the impact would be more to upperclassman and that priority is being given to incoming Freshman for housing. Couldn’t find the article but I was under the impression that upperclassman who may normally want to stay on campus would be the ones needing to figure out where they would be living in the Fall. Even if you have to go to a different neighborhood, getting around IU seems to be pretty easy. Last year my D was in Spruce in the Southeast Neighborhood and this year she is in the Sorority house on the Extension and many of her classes are in the Southeast and she hasn’t had any issue getting to classes or getting around campus in general. She has a car on campus but it stay’s parked for the most part and during the day she uses the bus to get from the house to her classes and back.
The thing I found when visiting campus is no matter what neighborhood you are in, getting around isn’t as daunting as it looks. And the activity level on campus in each of the neighborhoods seems pretty high, at least that’s what I’ve seen when I’ve been on campus.
It was announced about a week ago the the university will completely shut down all buildings in Foster and McNutt. That should give prospective families a glimpse into the severity of the problem. They could not guarantee safety in terms of health risk. I am grateful for this as no unsuspecting freshman will have to live through this nightmare. Unfortunately, there are thousands of students stuck in those dorms are still at risk for mold related health issues. Many families having to break their housing contract with financial Penalty unless the U forces a student to move. Many families throwing in the towel and pulling out of the U all together. This is tragic on so many levels and should never have happened. IU gambled and lost with the timing of this housing improvement that was already approved but not for a couple more years. My daughter has severe lung inflammation and the MD that IU sent her to told her it will be 6 mo to a year to clear up. The single best thing we could have done for her health is to remove her from the mold infested dorm. At one point, she was not sure she could pass 1-2 courses due to constant coughing, brain fog, fatigue, and respiratory struggles. She graduated HS with a 4.5 GPA and tested in the 98th percentile on ACT. Much higher instance of students withdrawing and failing courses this year. I’m glad IU will be renovating Foster and McNutt dorms but beyond dissapointed for a dismal first semester.
@elisabeth7
Any recommendation would be speculative. There is a new NW neighborhood dorm opening up close to the stadium that will share a food court with McNutt. Many are wondering if it will be the new Brisco which houses athletes although some athletes are also in McNutt and Foster. It’s speculative where the KLLC would end up, but I would think Collins or Brisco would be contenders since they are the next closest to Kelley.
Keep your options open. We signed up for housing day one, wanted enhanced (Brisco) and ended up McNutt. So it might be tight to get into Brisco if they actually shut down McNutt and Foster. Plus it would suck – it would be ghost town.
As dcolosi says, IU is easy to get around. That’s the beauty of it. The campus is basically one big square and easy to get from A to B. Other big schools have “quads” and you have to cross streets and dodge traffic. Once inside the IU square you can pretty much go whatever direction you want. Central neighborhood would be fine for Kelley.
Eigenmann Hall Is central and might be a good choice for the KLLC. Agree the NW neighborhood will be a ghost town and a construction zone so living in Brisco would be isolating.
KLLC was announced to be in Eigenmann next year. It is at the edge of campus near 10th and Union. Windows do not open. But there is AC. Lounges have been converted to rooms to deal with overflow students who didn’t have rooms at the start of school and now to house evacuees from mold impacted dorms. I don’t believe there is dining facility in the building. They have announced they are taking all the Foster buildings and all the McNutt buildings off line in May to start renovations due to the mold. Also the area behind McNutt is where the brand new dorm building was slated to begin construction this Spring -completion date hoped for sometime in 2020. No idea if they will leave the Gresham dining hall open in the Foster area for the Briscoe students as Briscoe does not have a dining facility. With the closing of McNutt, that will also close the center building which housed the McNutt Convenience Store and the Presentations mini dining area. Briscoe has always been desirable and according to the RPS website billed at about $8,000 this year wheras McNutt and Foster were billing $6500-$6900 annually per student just for room as a comparison. Mold impact effects on your health and academics were extra this year. Hard to know what NW will look like next year. Going to be major construction zone behind McNutt, but Briscoe has always been very desirable and typically where the recruited athletes are housed as it is close to the athletic facilities. Two things important to remember is that traditionally in housing app you get to pick neighborhood and price tier with no guarantee you will get either. The location of LLCs for next year may move based on changes to housing inventory but LLC is separate application and admission process. There are also a variety of buildings that are same vintage, construction, as the McNutt and Foster buildings that are going to remain in the freshman housing inventory next year. Some with no AC. Also, the University just announced this Friday as students were leaving for break that all signed housing contracts for on campus housing for next year - those signed by current freshman who planned to return as well as upperclassmen were cancelled by the university without warning. So keep this in mind when selecting this school or any other. You may only have a guarantee of some kind of on-campus housing your freshman year and find yourself with nothing the second year and beyond even though you signed a contract and were confirmed. Because this will place thousands into the local rental off campus market it is a windfall for landlords. Supply and demand may cause prices to soar. Not to mention tight supply and distance from campus. These are budget things to consider and risks to know BEFORE you commit to a university. The current freshman class did not have the opportunity to know any of this before committing.
@dcolosi just curious what article you are referring to. I see your post is December 13th but I was under the impression that the email to the students cancelling the on campus housing contracts for next year wasn’t sent out until Friday the 14th. Was there a previous article that addressed the housing impact for upperclassmen for next year before that email or where did you access that info? Thanks in advance.
@MomofLAA Wow thank you for all of this information and taking the time to write such a long, thought out paragraph. I didn’t realize the situation was so bad and I can’t believe they cancelled contracts. That will definitely way in on my college decision. Thank you again!
Ditto - Thank you to MomofLAA! Really concerned since our son has all types of allergies!
Quick Question regarding KLLC - when does the application process open? who should we contact if the kid has a medical condition and at all costs have to avoid any type of mold or other triggers?
Thank you and appreciate all your help.
It’s not that bad. IU is taking drastic measures to rectify the situation. Taking two dorms off line for renovation will be disruptive, but mainly too sophs and above who expected to live in dorms. Basically it sounds to me like only Freshman will be able to live in dorms next year. If you otherwise like IU, I wouldn’t let the dorm situation determine yes/no. Obviously, if you have a condition exacerbated by any mold then take appropriate actions.
@MomofLAA sorry, I’ve been out of town and just saw this. I can’t find the article but there was a news story on the local TV station that talked about the mold issue at IU and the acceleration of the two dorms for refurbishing. That next day I saw an article and I don’t recall where I saw it. It may have been the write up associated with the video clip on the news station website and in the article I thought it said that the impact was going to be more to upperclassmen. I tried to find it but I can’t locate it and I honestly don’t recall where I saw it. I commonly look at the IDS website, the IBJ and then local news so it was in one of those three places but it might have been the news website where I first saw it.
I really didn’t pay too much attention because my daughter lives in the sorority house so she isn’t impacted by the change. I just recalled seeing it and thinking I’m glad she is in the sorority house. Sorry I can’t help more.
No idea when application opens for KLLC. It is being moved to Eigenmann dorm for next year. As for medical conditions and wishing to have a guarantee of particular housing, you would have to contact IU RPS. There were parents who posted on other social media sites that they had made special requests for housing location due to very specific health issues and that did not get them a location they desired or needed. Housing assignments at IU may be uncertain for any student next year who is required to or wishes to live on campus. Response to the mold situation is ongoing. Over break the U planned to visually inspect and remediate 3 more current freshman residence halls where there have been complaints about mold. Students were instructed to pack up everything they owned into boxes and leave it all on their beds before leaving for holiday. No idea about the outcome of work in those buildings. Everyone wishes they had greater certainty for next year, and likely that includes the staff of RPS as well as current and prospective students.
Advice for high school seniors? Talk to as many current students and parents at the U as possible in order to
get a wide array of current and relevant perspectives on issues that are of greatest concern for you. There are several FB pages - one is IU Parents, another is Kelley Parents (although members are not all Kelley parents) and another is Indiana University Mold Emergency (started by a group of concerned parents impacted by the mold situation - membership is very diverse - not limited to parents). These are all closed groups with admins and you may request to join and then ask your questions of that membership base.
Be aware that at Indiana University on-campus freshman housing bills at various rates depending on the age, renovation, level and amenities of particular dorm buildings such as AC, ensuite shared bathrooms vs traditional hall bathrooms etc. You can check their current RPS website for some guideline but new pricing for next year will typically not be announced until August. When a student applies for housing they usually can preference a price tier but that assignment is not guaranteed. There are additional thematic housing fees if accepted to an LLC above the typical dorm fee. Be sure to look into renter’s insurance as the university is not responsible for a student’s personal belongings in the dorm room. Renter’s insurance typically saves you some money with lower deductibles than your homeowner’s insurance as well as the option to schedule tech items or musical instruments. Make sure your insurance policy covers mold or fungi incidents for full protection.
