Power Shutdown Tomorrow

With many people being away for the Fourth of July weekend and the University being closed for three straight days, Facilities is conducting its required annual inspection of electrical systems. As a result, there will be an interruption of power in several buildings tomorrow from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Buildings include:

• Barletta Natatorium
• Cabot Physical Education Center
• Churchill Hall
• Cullinane Hall
• Curry Student Center
• Dana Research Center
• Dodge Hall
• Ell Hall
• Forsyth Building
• Gainsborough Garage
• Hayden Hall
• Hurtig Hall
• Latino/a Student Cultural Center
• Marino Recreation Center
• Mugar Life Sciences Building
• Richards Hall
• Robinson Hall
• Snell Library
• Speare Hall
• Stetson East
• Stetson West
• White Hall

Power will be restored to each building as it passes inspection, so some buildings may have power restored before 8:00 PM. All buildings on campus not listed above, such as the West Campus buildings, should not lose power. Prior to the shutdown, it is recommended that all electrical equipment be shut off. Also, remember that if you have a refrigerator, it won't have power so you'll want to make sure you get rid of perishables.

Lastly, if you're wondering about eating since Stetson East will be without power, there will be food available at 716 Columbus Place.

Happy Fourth of July

Today is Independence Day. 232 years ago was when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress following its decision two days earlier to separate from Great Brittan. On behalf of the entire Housing Services Committee, I wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. And remember, celebrate responsibly and Go Sox!

Find Your Housing Assignment

The Resident Student Association has received a few questions recently from students about how to check their current housing assignment without waiting for a letter or calling, e-mailing, or visiting the Housing Services office. To help, we've prepared an illustrated guide on what to do.

1) Login to the myNEU Portal and go to the self service tab.

2) Click on the Housing Online link, as illustrated below. Make sure you have your pop-up blocker off or set to allow pop-ups from myNEU.

3) On the new window, click the link that says "Click Here to Enter 'Housing Online'".

4) Click the "Room Assignments" link and then you'll see a link that says "View Room Assignments." Click this link.

Once you perform these steps, you'll be able to see your housing assignments -- in fact, you may see your housing assignments all the way back to freshmen year!

When Call I Call / Stop By Housing?

The Housing Services team located in Speare Commons is a group of administrators and customer service personnel residents frequently need to get in contact with. In fact, when dealing with issues such as getting a new assignment, canceling housing, or applying for housing, they're definitely the people to go to.

"When can I call Housing or stop by and see them in Speare Commons" and "How can I go to Housing when I'm on coop" are questions residents often have, especially during summer when the hours are different. So here on the Housing Blog we have the hours that the Housing Services department is open:

• Monday/Wednesday/Friday: 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
• Tuesday/Thursday: 8:30 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

If you don't know the phone number, it's (617) 373-2814 -- and if you're abroad, work odd hours, or just hate the phone you can always e-mail them at housing@neu.edu.

GrandMarc In Minnesotta Slightly Better

Earlier in the week we mentioned how there are other GrandMarc buildings in the country targeted at students like the proposed GrandMarc on St. Boltoph Street. The one near UC Riverside had a super majority of students who did not recommend the building. In Minneapolis, Minnesotta, the GrandMarc at Seven Corners has just a 33% rate of recommendation according to ApartmentRatings.com. That means two-thirds of reviewers do not recommend the building.

Some of the problems with the GrandMarc at Seven Corners include issues with management losing documentation and improperly billing residents, trash and cleanliness, and facilities problems. Here's a comment from one reviewer:

The place was a hole when I moved in. When I moved out they charged me $400 dollars for damages that were there when I got there. I had filled out a sheet when I first moved in listing the damages, but they claimed to have lost it. There was nothing else I could do. They also charged my roommate $400, so that's another $800 they got out of us.

Another reviewer wrote:

Sinks leak and water drips from units above! Our light above sink filled with water and fell from the ceiling due to weight and broke all over.

With the problems at more than one GrandMarc building elsewhere in the country, I ask the readers of the blog to comment on whether or not they would want to live in a similar building in the Northeastern area. In the coming weeks the Housing Services Committee and the Resident Student Association will be discussing the GrandMarc proposed for St. Boltoph's Street in-depth and making comment on it before the public comment period closes on August 1st.