Grosvenor Apartments provide new housing option for students.
The moment Lucas Brady ’16 saw the inside of Randolph College’s newest living space, he knew he wanted to live there for his final two years of college. Not only was the apartment he toured in great condition, but it was huge. “The living room alone is bigger than the room we had last year for all three of us,” he said.
Brady and his two roommates were among 43 Randolph students selected to live in the Grosvenor Apartments, an apartment complex the College recently purchased and renovated. The purchase and renovations of the facility were completely funded by generous donors.
Like the other students now calling Grosvenor home, Brady and his roommates added personal touches to their apartment, with posters of Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, and Darth Vader. They also stocked the full-size refrigerator with food and the kitchen cabinets with pots and pans.
After a few months in the apartment, the three began to see value well beyond the added elbow room. “It’s given me more respect for my parents and their home, and how much you really have to do to take care of a place,” Brady said. “It’s a good transition into the real world.”
Providing students with an option to experience independent living before graduating was one of the reasons Randolph purchased the apartment facility across the street from the College’s main entrance.
“Not only is the increased space beneficial as the College grows, but so is offering our students a different type of college living,” said Ben Foster, assistant dean of students and director of residence life. “The apartments represent a more independent and self-reliant residential space. This better prepares our students for the increased autonomy of life after Randolph.”
The apartments foster independence by putting students in charge of their own cleaning and social activities. While apartment residents retain the convenience of the College’s meal plan, they also can cook for themselves in the full kitchens.
Danielle Weaver, associate director of residence life, lives in one of the apartments to provide support when needed. “We treat them like they are independent adults,” Weaver said. “We’re here if they need us, but we don’t want to be intrusive.”
Increased privacy is another valued commodity in the apartments. Averie Morgan ’15 appreciates that her apartment buffers nearby noise better than residence hall walls.
“Your environment is not influenced by what everyone else is doing,” she said. “It’s a more self-controlled environment than the dorms.”
She and her roommates see this opportunity as a way to prepare for life after graduation. “You’re getting the experience of living in and organizing a real house,” Morgan said. “I think the biggest difference is you feel like you’re in the real world.”
