The Mirror's 2012 Housing Guide

2012 EDITIONP R E S E N T E D BY T H E M I R R O R

2 - The Mirror Housing Guide Spring 2012

1 Bed - $495 / 2 Bed - $625

$295

[email protected] • (970) 330-7427 • 815 16th St. • Open Saturdays 12-5pm

Spring 2012 Housing Guide The Mirror - 3

Table of Contents Living with and taking care for a

pet can provide activities andcompanionship

Many options for off-campushousing exists for students ready toleave campus and live nearby.

On-campus residence halls pro-vide a sense of community and buildrelationships.

UNC students describe what theylook for when looking for a place tolive.

15(fifteen)

Mirror columnist Benjamin Fullerdiscusses why he will always remem-ber living and working in Turner Hall.

Though many of roommate horrorstories, living with someone can bemutually beneficial.

Reading and understanding theintricacies of leases is crucial whenchoosing residences.

Finding deals on furniture andsprucing up your space can makeyour room feel more homey.

13(thirteen)

12(twelve)

8(eight)

6(six)

4(four)

9(nine)

2012 Housing Guide Advertising DirectoryPage Advertiser

99 Property Technica1719 9th St., Greeley, Co(970) 352-2998 • propertytechnica.com

1313 Creekstone Apartments3775 W. 25th St., Greeley, CO 80634(970) 330-2111

1616 The Grove3202 11th Ave., Evans, CO 80620(970) 330-4337 • gogrove.com

1010 The Mirror Newspaper823 16th St., Greeley, CO 80631(970) 392-9270 • uncmirror.com

Page Advertiser

1414 Royal Gardens Apartments2101 22nd Ave., Suite #203Greeley, CO 80634 • (970) 352-0152

1111 Tanager Management (RentUNC.com)1221 28th Ave., Greeley, CO 80634(970) 392-1658 • RentUNC.com

55 University Apartments & Houses(970) 351-2570 • [email protected]/housing

2 2 Woody Investments • (970) 330-7427815 16th St., Greeley, CO [email protected]

7(seven)

KURT HINKLE | General [email protected] • (970) 392-9286BENJAMIN WELCH | [email protected] • (970) 392-9327

SARA VAN CLEVE | News [email protected] • (970) 392-9341PARKER COTTON | Sports [email protected] • (970) 392-9341

RYAN LAMBERT | Arts [email protected] • (970) 392-9341

MELANIE VASQUEZ | Visual [email protected] • (970) 392-9341

TRACY LABONVILLE | Advertising [email protected] • (970) 392-9323

RYAN ANDERSON | Ad Production [email protected] • (970) 392-9323

The Mirror is published everyMonday, Wednesday and Friday dur-ing the academic year by the StudentMedia Corp. It is printed by the GreeleyTribune. The first copy is free; addition-al copies are 50 cents each and must bepurchased from The Mirror office.

AAbboouutt UUss

Mirror Staff2011-2012


Pets alternative to messy roommatesDANNY GROSS

n e w s @ u n c m i r r o r . c o m

For students leavinghome for the first time, anapartment or house by them-selves can get lonely. To fillthe void, many studentsmake the important decisionof adopting a furry friend.

Whether that new familymember is a cat, dog or someother pet, there are a fewthings to keep in mind whentaking on the new responsi-bility and expense.

The first thing to find outis if pets are allowed at theplace of residence being con-sidered. While a majority ofrental properties in the areaallow pets, some may ask fora deposit. The cost can usual-ly be upward of $300 to $600or may be a monthly pet fee.

Students should alsocheck the rules of their spe-cific complex and the sur-rounding area. Students canalways walk their pets oncampus, but they must pickup after them.

Health is one of the biggestconcerns for owning a pet.For many people, having a petis like having child.

“I would do anything formy baby girl,” said PatriciaMokry, a junior philosophymajor, talking about her dog,Delilah. “I do whatever I can tokeep her happy. I snuggle withher, play with her and let herrun around campus and chasesquirrels.”

So what does it take tokeep a pet happy and healthy?

“It kind of varies as far asyearly cost,“ said CandiceSawyer, the receptionist andcustomer service representa-tive at Belair Animal Hospital.

“Of course, a puppy or a kit-ten is going to be much morein a year because you’re look-ing at roughly, in your first 3months, spending $185 just invaccinations and exams tomake sure that everything asthey age is working properly.On average, you’re probablylooking at about $300 to $400between vaccinations andspaying or neutering.”

After the initial expendi-tures, the average annualcost for pet ownership isabout $200.

However, there is alwaysthe chance for unseenexpenses caused by diseasesor emergency room visits. Toensure a pet’s health, stu-dents should have a savingsaccount for their animal tocover any unexpectedcharges. The suggested baseprice for an emergency fundis $300.

“Vaccinations are soimportant, because with thosevaccines, some of those emer-gencies that could arise couldbe prevented,” Sawyer said.“So it is much cheaper andbetter for the pet to protectthem and get their vaccina-tions done to avoid somethingcoming up in the future —parvo, distemper or some-thing like that. It’s reallyimportant to stay educatedand to do the best that you canfor them in preventive care toavoid those emergencies.”

Some students opt for alter-native pets to cats or dogs toavoid the added responsibili-ties. However, depending onthe pet, the amount of respon-sibilities may be the same, justdifferent.

Jenifer Filbert, a senior arteducation major, owns six

sugar gliders, small glidingpossums.

“I couldn’t have a dogbecause I would be in classesall day so I wouldn’t have timeto train them or walk them,”Filbert said. “I could have hada cat but I don’t really likecats.”

Although she said sheenjoys her sugar gliders’ com-pany and finds them easy totake care of, she is well awareof the hardships of having ani-mals that are outside the norm.

“I would suggest a dog or acat to other students becauseI haven’t been able to studyabroad or travel very oftenbecause I don’t have anybodyto watch my sugar gliders,”Filbert said. “Not many peo-ple take care of sugar gliders.Dogs or cats, you can putthem in a kennel. You canmake sure they are going tobe OK. However, bunnies,hamsters and things like that

you can leave with anybodyand they pretty much knowwhat to do.”

Students with questionsabout their pets can call theBelair Animal Hospital at970-330-7300.

“That’s what we’re herefor,” Sawyer said. “To edu-cate, and education is a bigthing when it come to ani-mals to help prevent thecostly expense, and thentaking care of them long-term.”

MELANIE VASQUEZ | THE MIRROR

Senior art major Michael Richardson cuddles with his cat,Sasha Thackery Binx Fierce Carpenter Richardson, at hisoff-campus house.

“I do whatever I canto keep her happy. I

snuggle with her, playwith her and let herrun around campusand chase squirrels.

—— PPaattrriicciiaa MMookkrryy,, aa jjuunn--iioorr pphhiilloossoopphhyy mmaajjoorr


Plenty of off-campus pad optionsCOLLEEN ALLISON


Signs advertising “nowleasing” are hanging on thesides of apartments and “forrent” notices are poppingup in lawns across Greeleyas UNC students begin tolook for places to live nextyear.

Off-campus housing isan option many studentschoose when looking for aplace to live, especiallyupperclassmen, but there issuch a variety of optionswhen it comes to off campusthat the search can becomeoverwhelming.

Many students choose tolive in apartments becauseit can help cut down on liv-ing expenses.

“Living in an apartmentsaves a ton of money in thelong run,” said CourtneyMalcolm, the sales managerfor The Grove at Greeley.

There are a variety of dif-

ferent apartment optionsavailable to University ofNorthern Colorado studentsin Greeley.

For students who want tobe closer to central campus,students can look atCranford Apartments,which is right across thestreet from Gunter Hall.

The university also hasseveral options for studentswho want to live in apart-ments. There are theUniversity Apartmentslocated three blocks east ofcentral campus nearJackson Field.

According to their web-site, in order to live in theUniversity Apartments, stu-dents must either be part ofa married couple or a singleparent or a UNC studentwho has earned at least 20credit hours and is 20 yearsold or older.

For more information aboutthe University Apartments, visitwww.unco.edu/housing/place

s/apartments_upper_class-men.html.

Another off-campusoption provided throughUNC are the Arlington ParkApartments. Arlington Parkis located on Ninth Avenue,just a block away from westcampus. For more informa-tion about Arlington Park,visit www.arlington-parkunc.com.

With more than 500 resi-dents, another popularapartment complex for stu-dents to live is The GroveApartments in Evans. Formore information aboutThe Grove, visit www. col-

l e g e r e n t a l s . c o m / T h e -Grove-apartments-Greeley-Colorado.

Malcolm said studentslooking to live in an apart-ment need to start lookingsoon, if they have notalready.

“January to April is thebest time to get the bestrates,” Malcolm said.

Another benefit to livingin an apartment is that thereis no lawn to mow or side-walk to shovel.

Houses for rent areanother option for studentslooking to live off campus.

UNC has a total of sixhouses located near bothcentral and west campusesthat students can rent.

According to the housingwebsite, each house is fullyfurnished with couches,chairs, desks and standardtwin beds as well as spa-cious dining areas and full-size kitchens. Each kitchenis equipped with amicrowave, refrigerator andstove.

Cable TV, telephoneservice, laundry, wirelesshigh-speed Internet, 24-hour on-call maintenanceand UNC PoliceDepartment security isavailable at each of thehouses.

For more informationabout renting a housethrough UNC, visitwww.unco.edu/housing/places/university_owned_houses.html.

Private owners also renthouses to students through-out Greeley, located by bothcentral and west campuses,and can be found throughvarious websites and realtycompanies.

COLLEEN ALLISON | THE MIRROR

Many UNC students chose to live off campus in rented apartments or houses, like thisone near west campus. Many contracts come with Internet, cable TV and utilities.

“Living in an apart-ment saves a tonof money in the

long run.—— CCoouurrttnneeyy MMaallccoollmm,, tthheessaalleess mmaannaaggeerr ffoorr TThheeGGrroovvee aatt GGrreeeelleeyy


Continuing on-campus residing

COLLEEN ALLISONn e w s @ u n c m i r r o r . c o m

The time has come onceagain for UNC students tostart looking for a place tolive next year and it is impor-tant for students to look at allof their options when con-sidering where to live.

Thousands of studentslive on-campus each year,and reap the benefits ofdoing so.

“You get to be in a com-munity with people just likeyou, going through the samethings you’re going throughand working together tomake living here great” saidCordray Vorderbruegge, aresident assistant in WilsonHall. “Another benefit isthat it’s very close to all of

the buildings. You don’tnecessarily have to have acar or a parking permit.”

Another benefit to consid-

er about living in the resi-dence halls is that studentsare close to University ofNorthern Colorado eventsand there is no need to driveand use gas to get to events.

Students have a variety ofroom options available to themwhen they live in the residencehalls as well. Halls across cam-pus have single rooms, suitesand double rooms.

Living in a residence hallalso requires students tohave a meal plan, upper-classmen in Lawrenson Hallexcepted. Descriptions of thedifferent meal plans avail-able to students are listed atwww.unco.edu/dining/mealplans/traditional.html.

Students can also apply tobecome an RA to make theirexperience in the residencehalls even more exciting.

To be eligible to becomean RA, students must havelived on campus for at leastone full semester by the endof the spring 2012 semester,

be qualified as at least asophomore, have completedat least 30 credit hours byend of the semester andhave an overall cumulativeGPA of at least 2.0.

College is an experiencestudents only have once,which was somethingVorderbruegge consideredwhile making her decisionabout where to live.

“We are going to live tobe around 90 years old andonly four of those years willyou ever have the opportu-nity to experience some-thing like the residencehalls,” she said. “To be ableto live with people withcommon goals, commonlifestyles, your same age andbe able to walk out yourbedroom door and knowthat any of the 70 people inyour hall you could hang outwith is exciting.”

For more informationabout living on campus, visitwww.unco.edu/housing.

COLLEEN ALLISON | THE MIRROR

Many students choose to exercise their option to remain on UNC’s campus after freshman year. Benefitsto this include choosing roommates, finding a single room and being close to classes and dining halls.

Sudoku rules:Fill all empty squares so thenumbers 1 to 9 appear once ineach row, column and 3x3 box.Some numbers are provided togive you a head start.

Proximity to classes, friends among benefits

For solution, seepage 12


What is the most important requirementwhen looking for a place to live?

COLLEEN ALLISON n e w s @ u n c m i r r o r . c o m

“That pets are allowed, afenced yard and a nicekitchen.”

Melissa Millward, a seniorjournalism major

“Who I’m living with orwho else lives there.”

Leah Kollath, a senior psy-chology major

“The number of bath-rooms. There should be abathroom for every twobedrooms.”

Maureesha Dillard, afreshman business major

“A friendly, safe, invitingenvironment that is cleanand close to campus.”

Alyssa Pindar, a juniordietetics major

“There has to be a porchand plenty of outdoorspace for dogs andponies.”

Haley Van Heukelom, ajunior English major

“How much space I’mgoing to be able to movearound in. I want myparty space and my studyspace.

Megan Presler, a juniorcommunication studiesand journalism major

The mission ofHousing andResidential

Education is to create acommunity of students whoare actively and civicallyengaged. Students living oncampus learn how torespect individual differ-ences while making con-nections to the greatercampus community.Having both lived andworked in Turner Hall foralmost three years, I haveseen these goals attainedeach semester.

During tours, orienta-tion, and maybe evenmove-in weekend, incom-ing students are usuallyblown away by the qualityof the living spaces, facili-ties, and on-campus enti-ties. Many of the residencehalls are either recentlyerected, refurbished or inthe process of updates.Those currently living oncampus know that benefitssuch as free WiFi, cable,laundry and heating arehard to come by in the typi-cal Greeley apartment com-plex, and thus many chooseto stick around for anotheryear or two. The mainte-nance and custodial staffare friendly and keep thesecommunities in great con-dition. As well kept as thesefacilities are, it’s no sur-prise to the department

that on-campus retentionrates are on the rise.

Although there is plentyof university involvementamong those living off cam-pus, those living in the resi-dence halls are always thefirst to know about specialevents, campus programs,and other extracurricularopportunities. TheResidence Hall Association,Community Councils andindividual building staffscontinue to provide resi-dents with opportunities toenhance their experiencewhile at UNC. Did I mentionthat these events are fun?Some traditional eventsinclude RHA’s “Bearlagio,”Homecoming, HarrisonHall’s annual Slip’n’slide,and who could forget theinfamous Walt Becker andhis Polar Plunge, a half-naked stampede througheach winter’s first snow?

Not only is the locationa great way to supplementyour involvement, but theResidential Education staffis always around to helpmake your experience asamazing as possible. Halldirectors, resident assis-tants, diversity mentors anddesk assistants are highly-trained and can help resi-dents with anything, nomatter how big or small thedilemma. Some of theirresponsibilities includesecuring the building,assisting residents withhousing, providing inform-ative resources about cam-pus and creating connec-tions between students andthe campus community.

By now, you have proba-bly had your freshman stintliving on campus, or maybeyou currently live on cam-pus and haven’t decidedwhether or not you will stay.However, if you do chooseto claim an on-campusspace in the future, I canassure you that the opportu-nities are endless. You may,as I have, create lifelongfriendships and make lastingmemories. You might also

choose to experience eye-opening programs and hum-bling civic engagement pro-vided you take the chance.Where ever and howeveryou choose to live, I canguarantee you that at theUniversity of NorthernColorado, there is one resi-dence hall that I will alwayscall home.

— Benjamin Fuller is a jun-ior economics major and weeklycolumnist for The Mirror.


Community comes together on campus

Benjamin

FULLER

[email protected]

Residence hall benefits create home away from home

Quote of the dayI love things that age well - things that don’t date,

that stand the test of time and that become living examples of theabsolute best.

-- Giorgio Armani

“”


Serving The University of NorthernColorado every Monday, Wednesday

and Friday since 1919.

We put outthree daysa week.

T H E M I R R O R UNCMIRROR.COM


Roommates can make or break experienceDANNY GROSS


The decision of choosingroommates in college can betough. With the stresses ofschoolwork, UNC studentsmay want to avoid theadded difficulties of havinga roommate they can’t getalong with.

Students may want tomake sure their new room-mate is clean, quiet and notpart of some creepy cult thatrequires him to sacrificefarm animals in the room atmidnight, which may because for concern, especial-ly around midterms.

“I had a roommate thatwe went into his room andfound plates that had beenunder his bed for about twomonth and the plates hadgrown a layer of mold,” saidNikolas Wagner, a juniorEnglish secondary educa-tion major at the Universityof Northern Colorado.“There was a black stainaround his room that lookedlike diesel soot. He show-ered once a month, at thevery most. And it was a com-mon occurrence to find himpassed out, naked, in thecommon areas of thehouse.”

Everyone has their ownhorror story when it comesto roommates, and afterlearning their lesson thefirst time living with some-one, many take precautionswhen choosing the next one.So what kind of criteriashould a student use inpicking a roommate?

“Getting to know the per-son first would definitely bebeneficial,” said CordrayVorderbruegge, a resident

assistant in Wilson Hall anda junior journalism andcommunication studiesmajor. “That way, you cantell before you even move intogether if it’s going to be agood fit. And if it’s not, youcan change rooms beforethings get awkward.”

Cleanliness is always apriority but another com-mon criterion is sleepingpatterns

“It’s really annoying totry to sleep while yourroommate is up makingnoise,” Vorderbruegge said.

Common interests willhelp ensure there will beplenty to talk about whileliving together.Communication skills arevery important in a room-mate relationship, especial-ly when conflict arises.

If students have thechance to room with friend,they can avoid many ofthese issues. However, thisis not always a sure way toescape conflicts.

“I’ve lived with twofriends where it ended terri-bly,” said Brittanie Lauer, asenior sports and exercisescience major. “One I didn’ttalk to for a year afterwardand the other I will probablynever talk to again becauseshe owes me over $600 indamages to our apartmentthat she wouldn’t pay so Ihad to.”

Luckily for students liv-ing in the residence halls,there is a convenient way tochange rooms if the room-mate they picked doesn’tmatch.

“They can usually prettyeasily be switched into a dif-ferent room,”Vorderbruegge said. “They

may have to move buildingsto get a different roommate,but getting the students outof a bad situation is a priori-ty for the housing depart-ment. If they know of anavailable room they can justask their RA to place them in

there and within a few daysthey’ll be moved out. But ifthey don’t know of an openroom, the RA can find themone and move them into itASAP.”

Happy hunting.


Roommates Nereida Serrano, left, a senior sociology major,and Brittany Herrington, a senior elementary education major,discuss their days at the UC Fireside Lounge.

Sudoku solution from page 7


Being informed important in signing leaseAMANDA STOUTENBURGH


Signing a lease for the firsttime can be an intimidatingexperience for some UNC stu-dents, but if they take theirtime making a decision andfollow the advice of local land-lords, the process can becomemuch simpler.

There are a few things thatstudents and their parentsshould be aware of beforesigning a lease.

“It is a legal binding con-tract and it is important tounderstand it,” said AndyMartinez, a representativefrom TRI PropertyManagement. “If (you) do not,consult an attorney.”

Landlords encourage stu-dents to pay close attention to

the length of the lease, reper-cussions if they break thelease, what utilities they areresponsible for and if are petsallowed.

Also, students and parentsshould be aware of the depositfee. At TRI, for example, thedeposit is the amount of onemonth’s rent. Students shouldalso be aware of any other feesthat they might have to takecare of before they sign thelease.

Misty Nuanez, the officemanager from WoodyInvestments, said to makesure students know who theyare living with and ensure theyget along with their room-mates before signing a lease.

This is important becauseif one roommate decides toleave, the remaining tenants

can be left responsible with allthe rent and utilities instead ofit being split. Students shouldalso figure out what types ofleases each place does, andhow long they last.

Before students can sign alease, they must complete anapplication process. The feefor applications at TRI is $30,where at other rental compa-nies it may be higher or non-existant.

The application processchecks the students’ credit,criminal background, refer-ences and income. Studentscan also usually have a parentor guardian sign the lease as aco-signer, who would alsohave to pay the application feeif there is one.

Finding a place can behard because there are so

many factors to consider,including rent, how far awaythe house or apartment isfrom campus and students’jobs and if they feel comfort-able enough to live there for ayear.

“One main concern aboutsigning a lease is actually find-ing a house you like enough,”said Mallory Silliman, a soph-omore dietetics major.

“One main concernabout signing a leaseis actually finding a

house you likeenough.

—— MMaalllloorryy SSiilllliimmaann,, aassoopphhoommoorree ddiieetteettiiccssmmaajjoorr


2101 22nd Ave. GreeleyOffice: Suite 203

352-0152

ONE OF GREELEY’S FINEST APARTMENT

COMMUNITIES

• Spacious Studios, 1 BR, 2 BR/1B and 2BR/2B

• Great roommate floorplans

• Key controlled Building access

• 24hr Emergency Maintenance

• Convenient, Quiet Location

• Carports Available

• Laundry in each building

• Gated Swimming Pool


Furnishings, decor can create home

AMANDA [email protected]

Furnishing an apartmentor house is an importantstep many UNC studentstake to help make theirplace feel like a home awayfrom home.

With many students onlyworking part-time jobs,staying within their budgetis just as important, if notmore important, than deco-rating in style.

“When it comes to deco-rating a college house, thebest place to find stuff ischeaper stores like IKEA,Arc and Goodwill,” saidKelsey Munn, a sophomoredietetics major.

Those are good places tolook as their wares are rela-tively cheap, and if everyonein a residence pitches inmoney, furniture treasuresare to be found.

An important characteristicto look for with any furniture ordecorations bought at a thriftstore is cleanliness. Studentsshould check for cleanlinessbefore they purchase items andshould clean their purchasesafter buying them.

Another affordable fur-nishing option is to bringpieces from students’ placesin their hometowns, whichis what UNC student ErinRome did.

Rome brought all of her

furniture and decorationsfrom her home so she couldbe surrounded by herfavorite familiar things.

Living in an off-campusresidence gives studentsmore freedom to decorateas they please, as they aregenerally allowed to hangup artwork and pictureframes, move their furniturewhere they want and maketheir place truly their own.

“I like to make a lot of myfurnishings,” said DemiAnderson, a senior psychol-ogy major.

Anderson buys much ofher decorating supplies atMichaels and Jo-AnnFabrics & Crafts. However,for the larger wall art,Anderson said she likes tofrequent Big Lots, anotheraffordable option for stu-dents looking to spruce up

their living space.In the residence halls,

students can hang decora-tion and move their furni-ture, but it all must go backto the way it was when theymoved in.

With apartments andhouses, students can renewtheir lease for as long as theywant and their residence canbecome their home for aslong as they live there.

Many options are avail-able for students to do withtheir space, no matterwhere they live, whether itbe in a residence hall, anapartment or a house.

“I generally decorate mydorm with posters and bringtons of speakers to make mydorm room more homey,”said Samuel Anderson-Aido,a sophomore political sci-ence major.

Budget decorating can yield ‘furniture treasures’


Natalie Salazar, a senior sports and exercise sciencemajor, sits in her off-campus house in an armchair thatshe got for free as a gift from her aunt.


Natalie Salazar, a senior sports and exercise sciencemajor, sifts through a dresser she purchased at the Arcfor $20. Natalie recently finished repainting the dresser.

“When it comes to dec-orating a college

house, the best placeto find stuff is cheaperstores like IKEA, Arc

and Goodwill.—— KKeellsseeyy MMuunnnn,, aa ssoopphhoo--mmoorree ddiieetteettiiccss mmaajjoorr

The Mirror's 2012 Housing Guide

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