The Joseph Ellicott Complex and the Governor's Complex are a convenient 10-minute walk from the Academic Spine. South Campus dorms are, on the other hand, a 20 to 30 minute commute to North Campus. Students who have most of their classes on South, or are looking for a place to live that's within walking distance of stores, restaurants, bars and the subway and bus station find South Campus to be the perfect home away from home.
On-campus living can be saddled with roommate problems, rising rents and the occasional pipe burst, but most students find that during their first year or two at UB, dorm life is more conducive to making friends and getting to know a new campus.
For students looking to live in the dorms next year, South Campus offers two high-rise dorms and four quad buildings. The Ellicott Complex houses more students than any other campus location, whereas the Governor's Complex is the home for UB's honors students.
Convenience:
Ellicott and Governors are marked primarily for convenience to the Academic Spine as well as its social atmosphere, aided by some building-to-building accessibility via indoor passageways.
"Everything you need is close," said Mike LaGamba, a sophomore geology major. "There are [different choices of] food, campus isn't too far away, and there are a lot of people around."
Communal spaces, including bathrooms and lounges, are shared but a cleaning staff tends to them. The cleaning staff do not have access to private dorm bathrooms.
"It's kind of a disadvantage to share a bathroom, but it doesn't bother me much," LaGamba said. "I don't like cleaning; it's a plus that there's a cleaning staff. Without them, it would never get clean."
South Campus residents in all six buildings share one dining hall, located in Goodyear Hall. While there is a tunnel connecting Clement Hall to the dining hall, Quad residents must trudge through the snow to get dinner.
Students living on North Campus are on a slightly more secluded area, whereas South Campus is more urban-esque. Therefore, South residents have walking access to bars and shops, whereas those up North will need a car for late night adventures.
During the school day, it's easier for students to reach Ellicott than South Campus; students have to wait longer for shuttles to South, as they are notoriously unreliable. Some students do find the ride relaxing though, and do find that the commute allows them to see parts of the city outside of campus.
"The ride to south is great, because it allows me to relax and unwind on the way home from class," said Nick Piersimoni, a junior communication major. "I find them to be on time, the key is to know how long they take and to plan ahead. if you have a class at 9 am you should probably leave around 820 or earlier"
One of the major perks of living in the dorms is that students never need to cook for themselves. Those who do not have access to cookware or do not wish to prepare meals themselves can choose from a variety of eateries run by Campus Dining & Shops on location.
"Whenever you want food, you can get it decently fast," said Jacob Richman, a junior sociology major. "They have everything from breakfast to tacos to vegetarian food."
Richman also suggests The Elli, Ellicott's own mini-mart that has all the amenities of a mini-grocery store and is open later than other places in Ellicott.
Amenities:
Schnupp said that Ellicott provides conveniences, which ultimately buys him time in his day to complete work. All dormitories have free laundry areas, but they may be hard to come by.
"I would say it makes it easier having the laundry room right downstairs," Schnupp said. "Also, having quick access to food saves time."
Rooms in Ellicott come in varying sizes: singles, doubles, triples, split triples (a double and single room joined by a common room), split quads (two double rooms joined by common room), and quads. Four-person rooms with an adjoining bathroom are also available, however, they are uncommon.
South Campus and Governor's offer single and well as double rooms.
Each room comes fully furnished, including an extended twin-sized bed, desks, dressers, and appropriate lighting.
On average, every other floor has a kitchen for student use.
Schnupp feels that even though Ellicott comes with a great number of amenities, the excessive costs of living on campus go unmatched except by University Village at Sweethome.
"In comparison to other off-campus housing establishments, it's very expensive. The amenities you receive living on-campus just don't offset the cost," Schnupp said. "I would be willing to take on an extra inconvenience just to make up the cost difference."
Registration for rooming in Ellicott requires a $200 dollar deposit, which is payable by check, cash, or credit card no later than March 5 at 106 Spaulding or online, according to the University Residence Halls & Apartments Web site.
Students are then entered in a random lottery number drawing. Numbers are determined by how many semesters a student has been living on campus; the more seniority a student has living on campus, the better their lottery number will be.
Customer Service & Maintenance:
There are Resident Advisors for every dorm on North and South Campus, as well as professional staff members, which are on duty 12 hours a day, seven days per week, according to Joe Krakowiak, director of URH&A.
Students have the ability to place work requests as well as report any damages through an online system.
"We have an electronic work order system, which is accessible by any student any day of the week," Krakowiak said. "That system will get back to [students] during the business days only, unless there is an emergency, to tell you when something's going to be fixed."
The residence halls also employ a cleaning staff independent of campus cleaning staff, which includes special selected and trained employees to do the job.
"We have a dedicated cleaning staff [which] we select, staff, and supervise," Krakowiak said. "Cleaners can feel part of an area as opposed to an outsourced staff."
Safety:
Ellicott and Governor's are located on North Campus in Amherst, which is ranked one of the safest towns in America. This safety buffer does not hinder police presence in Ellicott on a daily basis.
South Campus dorms have reputation for being slightly more dangerous, though the police presence is about the same. South's biggest problem this year has been a string of car break-ins, though to those who haven't lived there before, South Campus is out of the question in terms of safety.
"North is ten times nicer and (is) in a safer community," said Nick Alterio, a junior engineering major.
According to Krakowiak, complex entrances are electronically accessible by swipe card, but are barrier-free Monday though Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. A swipe card is required after hours and on the weekends. Students are only able to access their own dormitory after midnight.
"There haven't been any major [incidences] that have occurred currently and I feel safe," said Matthew Schnupp, a sophomore pharmacy major.
According to Krakowiak, a strong police presence makes students feel safer no matter where they are on campus.
"It has to do with the fact that you're part of the campus," Krakowiak said. "You can take advantage of all the things campus has to offer."
Additional Reporting by Joshua Boston, Nate LaFrance and Stephanie Sciandra
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
