Second Year Housing Contract

<p>Think twice about signing the second year housing contract. My student signed the contract excited to part of the campus housing for two years. Unfortunately, the assignment for next year is Rockingham. Rockingham is OFF CAMPUS housing that is a motel converted into dorm rooms. To get to Rockingham you must pull into a gas station parking lot and drive a roadway behind the gas station. It is isolated and run down and definitely not ON CAMPUS housing. Residential Life assigns the lottery for housing selection during class time instead of during the weekend when all students would have access to the lottery system. Even if you find someone who wants to assume your second year housing contract, Residential Life will not honor that transfer. You must wait until the housing assignment process is complete to make any contract "trades". The hosing selection process is now over with only 18 days of class left. Residential Life has informed that they will now honor any contract trades but alas with only 18 days left until classes are over, students have made other final arrangements for housing next year. My student talked to existing Rockingham residents who have informed that Rockingham has definitely has a party atmosphere because the College doesn't care or monitor this OFF CAMPUS housing and the RA's don't care either what goes on. </p>

<p>I think a commitment to live on campus should include ON CAMPUS housing. JMU is not holding up their end of the contract.</p>

<p>I know where that is. It used to be a Howard Johnson’s. I can’t believe the University actually purchased that. I could see using it ONLY if the student requested it. Please complain to the administration. Maybe skip over ORL.</p>

<p>As we begin the college search process again with daughter #2, this issue of housing is one of my greatest concerns with JMU. My older daughter almost went to JMU and now my younger D fell in love after our tour there the other day. All the other schools we have looked at with both daughters seem to have a plan in place to easily house all freshman and sophomores and offer many potential housing options on-campus to older students as well (granted, many of these are private schools.) In fact, some guarantee housing for 3 years. </p>

<p>Does anyone know if JMU has any plans to build additional housing to address this need? This Rockingham does not sound like a great solution.</p>

<p>My son graduated from JMU in 2012. He signed the two year dorm agreement, and had no trouble getting a nice dorm for the second year. It is a lottery system, and if you are unlucky and get a high number, like he did, your dorm choice for second year is limited. However, kids in that situation usually find someone with a better lottery number to go in with. One student with a good lottery number can bring in like 4-6 students with them in a suite. Thats what my son did.</p>

<p>I too, at first, was leary of the off campus apartment living. But if you look at them, you will see they are really glorified dorms. It is all students, and they have campus busing to all the apartments, so even without a car the apartments are doable.</p>

<p>He lived in Pheasant Run for the last two years, and had the same roommates for the two years. It was really a nice way to bridge the years to adulthood.</p>

<p>For second year on campus housing, let me add that students must be at their assigned dorm registration time, and wait for their time, or they will miss their chance to get whatever good dorms are left. If you have a 2:00 appointment time, you must be there, if you have to miss class then you have to miss class, or you run the risk of getting a bad assignment.
Sometimes, just one of the 4 or 6 students, whoever has the best lottery number, can go to the registration and pick for the group.</p>

<p>In my student’s situation it was just her and her roommate that were looking for second year on campus housing. Her friends did not sign the second year contract and were moving off or becoming RA’s so they only had 2 assigned lottery times to choose from. They both could not miss classes for room assignment selection. </p>

<p>I think it is unfair for JMU to assign the lottery numbers during class time. </p>

<p>If you saw Rockingham, (Official JMU Residential Housing) a motel behind a gas station on Port Republic Road, you would never allow your student to stay there one night, let alone for an entire year. It is a motel in a secluded area behind a gas station right off the exit ramps to highway 81. The bus stop is in front of the gas station and the students are required to walk behind the gas station, go down a step flight of stairs to 3 buildings of dorms. The area is not well lit and fairly deserted. The doors are all on the outside like a typical motel and are wooden and don’t seem very secure.</p>

<p>I bring this to the attention of potential students because if you believe you want to be on campus for 2 years, this is an option you may be stuck with and JMU will not let you out of your second year contract unless all of these rooms at Rockingham are filled.</p>

<p>Virginia colleges -many of them - and I’ll also bash, in general, many publics in the south, do not place enough value on the residential experience. Their investment in U housing is lousy. And often no air conditioning.</p>

<p>My D is a freshman, and wanted to stay on campus for her sophomore year, but applied too late. She received an email in December saying that on campus housing was full. We were both a little upset, but I quickly started searching for off campus housing. She eventually signed a contract at Pheasant Run. Nice town home community, only for college students. One nice thing they offer, roommate matching. My daughter is quiet, not a partier. They helped her fill out her profile, and sent it to potential matches. She received over a dozen emails within a day, and after meeting with a few of them, she found some really nice roommates. One of them already lives in Pheasant Run and is very happy there. Another plus, there is a bus stop at the entrance to community, and a lot of students use it to get to campus. My D was happy about that, even though she’ll have her car next year she likes the option of being able to take the bus so she won’t have to worry about trying to find a parking spot before classes. She is now excited to be living off campus next year! The townhouses are quite big, she’ll have her own room and will share a bathroom with one other girl. All of the units are 4 bedroom 2 1/2 bath. It’s a mile from the quad, so it’s pretty close. Also seems pretty safe. One thing I found when searching for housing, is to try and stay away from Port Republic, it seems as if more crime happens along that road. I googled “crime near” and entered the address or name for every housing option I was looking at, and nothing came up for Pheasant Run, and most of the crime seemed to be off Port Republic.</p>

<p>My son lived at Pheasant Run for two years, graduated in May 2012. His only complaint with Pheasant Run is parking. They do not have assigned parking spaces, and because of this parking is tough. Not so much during the week, but on weekends when everyone is home, and people are visiting, it can be hard to park.</p>

<p>After one semester living at Pheasant Run, my D has not experienced any problem with parking. She has signed on to live there for another year. She seems to be in a quiet section of the community (only one or two parties so far) and pretty much has the same parking space every day. She loves the location (close to campus) and the office did a good job matching her with her roommates.</p>