Last semester, Harding University announced plans to build new privileged housing for students that would offer more apartment style living on campus.
This summer, Harding added Legacy Park to its campus and also added additional housing to The Village apartments.
According to Patty Barrett, director of residence life, this add-on included 32 new apartments in Legacy Park for women’s privledged housing and 12 brand new apartments in addition to 27 existing apartments in The Village for men’s priveleged housing. Both apartment complexes include additional rental apartments for any student eligible to live off campus and Harding faculty and staff.
While Legacy Park has a limited acceptance of spots, totaling 118 spots for women, and requires an application process, senior Kayla Howard said she thinks the new apartments are worth applying for.
“I like it a lot,” Howard said. “It almost gives me a glimpse of what it will be like living in an apartment after Harding. We have a larger living space with a good sized kitchen to use, and we have Wi-Fi built in so we don’t have to worry about router problems or a slow network connection.”
Each apartment in Legacy Park includes a washer, clothes dryer and two full bathrooms. Students staying in the apartments are only limited to campus curfew, not residential curfew, meaning they are not allowed to be on Harding’s campus after curfew but are allowed to leave their apartments as they choose, according to David Collins, dean of students and vice president of student life.
Collins said apartment residents will not be required by the school to sign out on weekends as required in the dorms, but the students have been requested to communicate with their dorm manager and apartment roommates before they leave as a precaution.
“We’re very excited about the new apartments,” said Ranan Hester, assistant dean of students. “They’re very nice apartments, and it is a privilege for the students to live there. There has been a lot of thought and preparation to go into making these apartments possible.”
Hestersaid the safety of the students has been considered and that the apartments will require going through two locked doors, one with card access and the second being a room key. Public Safety will routinely check the area and watch carefully for anything that might appear suspicious.
Much like Pryor and Shores Halls have required in years past, Legacy residents will have to possess good academic and chapel standing, have no previous disciplinary record and must present recommendations from their previous resident life coordinator.
Collins and Hester both said they hope that incoming students will see Legacy as an initiative to do well while at Harding, in hopes to be accepted to live in Legacy and to realize that Legacy is a “privilege to be earned.”
