As the student enrollment continues to climb and housing on-campus become more limited, many students are opting to live in off-campus apartments. Auburn offers a multitude of apartment complexes; some offering amenities that range from private study rooms to tanning beds.
Priska Yu, junior in marketing, has lived at The Connection since her sophomore year. When it comes to safety, she said she feels safe in the complex and mentions that there is always someone on call. The Connection also has a gate at the front entrance.
Yu said she doesn't have any issues with her neighbors.
“I’m friends with all my neighbors," Yu said. "I like my neighbors.”
Whereas some other places have limited visitor parking, The Connection provides more.
“We have two or three parking lots just for visitors,” Yu said.
Yu said she wants to keep living there.
“I lived there for sophomore year and I just signed a lease for junior year,” Yu said.
While some residents may be satisfied with their apartment and the management, others are not. Helen Custodio, junior in industrial engineering, said she feels residents who have lived at Eagles Reserve do not receive the attention newer residents receive.
Residents since 2013, one of their first issues was with the door lock.
“The biggest problem was the keycard,” Custodio said. ”They would just not work.”
Custodio said there were also leaks and water on the floor.
“We had some leaks, and we would just have water all over the floor," Custodio said., "and the ceiling kind of opened up and there was a big crack and they would wipe up all the water but the crack would still be there.”
When their washing machine went out for three weeks, Custodio said she had to improvise.
“I had to bring my laundry to my boyfriend’s,” Custodio said.
Custodio said some of the positives are the location, transportation and size of the unit for the price.
“It’s a nice location and we have a good Tiger Transit route,” Custodio said.
Teyani Odom, a recent graduate of Tuskegee University, lives in the Garden District. Odom said she has been a resident for 10 months. Odom said she feels like she is living in a safe community.
“We have a security guard on the premises, so that helps,” Odom said.
Any issue Odom has had with her unit has been resolved.
“Every problem, maintenance or otherwise, gets taken care of immediately," Odom said. "Most of the time, same day.”
Odom said what initially attracted her to the Garden District was its aesthetics.
“I first fell in love with the way it looked like the French Quarter," Odom said. "After that, everything such as price and location fell right into place.”
Her biggest complaint is the distance to the dumpster.
“The only thing I would change is the distance of the garbage dumpster,” Odom said.
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