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Housing upgrades increase prices

As part of UH’s goal to reach the status of a residential campus and Tier One, renovations at the Moody Towers are scheduled to commence at the end of the semester.

The proposed $3 million budget will provide new movable furniture, paint, flooring, window treatment and micro-fridges in every room. The renovations are scheduled to take three months starting on May 15.

“We have a specific window of opportunity,” said Javier Hidalgo, associate director of operation at Residential Life and Housing. “This window is critical to get the most bang for your buck.”

Residents should also expect changes in the lounges and bathrooms. The bathrooms will include new lighting fixtures, stalls and sink counters.

Hidalgo said the concerns students raised to him at numerous forums were addressed, such as elevator repairs and the aesthetics of the rooms.

“The nature of the buildings lend themselves to certain things and not to others,” Hidalgo said. “We can only tackle a few things at a time due to the financial constraints.”

The constraints will not change the target completion date of Aug. 15. Residents will receive a six percent price increase.

The price increase for residents will be between $28 and $36 dollars. But for one former Moody Tower resident, the renovations are not enough for her to move back in.

“My experience at the towers was not the best,” said Kelly Sanchez, a junior at the Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. “The Towers were meant to be a staple at the University of Houston. A place with which everyone is familiar, but I think it didn’t quite work that way. I do support the renovations because I feel that students deserve to be in a comfortable environment.”

Sanchez’s experience contradicts the experience of current resident advisor Mike Brown, who called the Moody Towers “a great place to live,” in a press release from University Services.

“This is where I want to be,” Brown said in the press release. “I don’t want to be anywhere else. Moody Towers is for me.”

Both the Moody Towers and Quadrangle will be closed during the summer to complete the renovations. Renovations at the Quadrangle mirror those at the Towers with a proposed budget of $2 million.

Students are invited to a Campus Housing Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 5 and 6 at the UC Circle for more information and updates.

Hidalgo stressed that the UH and residential life and housing administration is doing all it can to improve the quality of living for students.

Hidalgo said that both residential life and housing and the University have set a goal of obtaining the status of residential campus — a distinction obtained by having 25 percent of the student population live on campus.

“We have our students’ best interest in mind,” Hidalgo said. “We want to provide an environment that is conducive to their academic success.”

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