Housing

The Department of Housing and Residential Education completed a market study and planning exercise in close coordination with the master planning process. This provided an updated understanding of market demand for on-campus housing and refined the vision for the residential experience at Carolina. There is increasing competition from the off-campus market, and to retain students after their first year the University needs to adjust unit mix, offer additional amenities within residence halls and in Campus South neighborhoods, and address deferred maintenance. The space assessment reinforces that several halls have significant condition issues combined with other programmatic deficiencies. Many of the older traditional hall-style buildings present particular challenges despite their attractive location: most upper division students prefer suites or apartments, and the building layout cannot accommodate the desired reconfiguration without decreasing the bed counts below a reasonable threshold for a viable community and hall operation. Lastly, the assessment updates to the University’s approach to serving graduate students.