As of the Fall 2018 semester, Elizabethtown College is offering new off-campus housing for rising juniors and seniors at the Featherton Crossing Apartment complex in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. The apartments are located 1.8 miles from the College campus, and according to the Residence Life page on the College website, students are responsible for their own transportation.

The College website also points out that Featherton provides “luxury” living space. Amenities listed on the page include a fitness center, an outdoor pool, a washer and dryer in each unit, generous storage space, “plenty of parking,” granite countertops and kitchen appliances. The page also includes that College wifi is still included at this off-campus location.

One building with 20 apartments has been set aside for the use of the College. Of these 20 apartments, eight are one-bedroom units, and the remaining 12 are two-bedroom units. Students can choose between a nine and 12 month contract for the Apartments. Other than a bed, a desk and a chair, students are responsible for acquiring their own furniture.

According to Dominick DiLoreto, area coordinator for Featherton Apartments, there are currently 55 Etown students living in the Featherton Crossing Apartment building leased by the College. Because of this lease, Featherton is considered on-campus living, so students are not breaking their residency agreements. Although it is considered on-campus living, Featherton residents have received commuter status parking passes.

Senior political science major James Spearman said that his drive from his apartment to campus is about six to eight minutes, but he knows that a couple of people do have to walk to campus.

“I think that without a car, it would be pretty miserable to live in Featherton,” Spearman said.

Julia Raup-Collado is a senior double majoring in English literature and Spanish and is one student living in Featherton without a car. Neither Raup-Collado nor her roommate, senior Kristina Worobey, have a car, though they had originally planned for one.

“It’s a nice forty-minute walk, really. There’s a nice Amish farm on the way where we get vegetables from (and the best corn I’ve ever had). It can be a little tedious at first, though it really isn’t too bad.” Raup-Collado said. “The only problem is that it isn’t pedestrian-friendly at all, and attempting the hike it at night without a flashlight is absolutely not recommended and very dangerous.”

Both Raup-Collado and Worobey attempt to leave close to an hour before classes to ensure arriving on time.

Senior Destiny Harbison is a sociology and anthropology major with a concentration in anthropology. She is another student living in Featherton without a car. Harbison said it also takes her around 40 minutes to walk, but when she is able to get a ride from her roommates, the drive is only five minutes or so.

One of the biggest differences in living at Featherton, according to Spearman, is having to plan for more travel time in order to walk from the Young Center parking lot to academic buildings. For Harbison, the biggest difference is how involved she feels in the college community.

“When I lived in campus, I could go to events, talk to professors or hang out with friends at a moments notice,” Harbison said. “Now, I pretty much only go to campus for classes or if I need to use the computer lab.”

Raup-Collado has appreciated a little distance.

“The privacy and independence is nice; it’s very different from a dorm. It feels like you’re truly living there instead of just residing,” she said.

Additionally, Raup-Collado appreciates having a personal kitchen and laundry service and not needing to work around others.

Spearman finds the Apartments much better than any of the other apartments offered by the College. Harbison has loved living on her own thus far, and Raup-Collado has started referring to her apartment as home. However, there are still some downsides to the Featherton apartments.

According to DiLoreto, at a beginning of the semester orientation meeting for the community, several residents brought up problems with internet connectivity. ITS stated that Featherton residents should approach technology problems the same way as any students living on-campus and contact the Help Desk. ITS has confirmed that Internet should be fully operational at Featherton, and by the evening of Aug. 27, there were 57 devices connected.

Not everyone has had equal success, though. Raup-Collado said she has still not been able to connect her desktop computer to the Internet, although her phone and laptop are connected.

Still, as DiLoreto said, “There is a learning curve to living at Featherton, and we’ve been starting to see that settle now that we’re a few weeks in to the semester.”

As in all aspects of life, issues will arise and issues will resolve as time passes. All there is to do is to wait and see.