After hearing students speak out about all things Northern Terrace, The Northerner has compiled a list of the seven things you need to know about the newest residential hall at NKU.

1. The Stats

According to the Director of University Housing Arnie Slaughter, Northern Terrace costs $2,980 for students living in a room without a kitchen and $3,190 per student living in rooms with a full kitchen. There are 42 rooms that do not include a kitchen and 5 that do. Every room holds four students. At capacity, Northern Terrace holds 188 residents.

2. The Set Up

One of Northern Terrace’s most unique features is the open floor plan of each room. Sarah Knuckles, a sophomore social work major, thinks that the space is a great way to get to know your roommates.

“I personally like the set up,” Knuckles said. “It allows for everyone to bond more quickly and I think that makes for an authentic college experience.”

Others aren’t too keen on such an open room. Lindsey Snider, sophomore biology major, believes that the layout often feels like there is a lack of privacy.

“I wish there were more doors, because it is often a challenge to live in a place where there is no privacy,” Snider said.

3. The Opportunity for Creativity

Because of the open space in each room, students are encouraged to create a living area that is most comfortable for them. Snider considers this to be one the better aspects of living in Northern Terrace.

“I like the fact that there is a lot of space and we can utilize it however we want,” she said. “Every time you go into a room at Northern terrace it looks different. No two are the same.”

Lauren Mountain, the hall director at Northern terrace, also enjoys how customizable the spaces are.

“Each room is a little over 900 square feet, and every time I do a health and safety check it is always very exciting to me to see the different ways students have decorated,” Mountain said.

4. The Community

The addition of a new residential hall by Callahan has created a new sense of community at the off-campus dorms.

Snider explains why she thinks this is going to help NKU’s residential life.

“Overall, with Callahan and Northern Terrace it is turning into a college area. It is nice for campus housing and is definitely a step in the right direction for NKU,” Snider said.

According to Mountain, off- campus housing has some perks of its own.

“I think living on this side of campus gives students the opportunity to have access to the restaurants that are around here and the supermarket which is right across the street,” Mountain said. “Adding a new residential area around here has done a lot to help the atmosphere. There are always people around and it feels more like college dorms.”

5. The Parking

A large frustration that students have with the addition of Northern Terrace is the lack of parking. It is a common complaint that NKU is adding more people, but losing valuable parking spots. Snider explained how this has affected her.

“Whenever I come back from the main campus and it is nighttime, there are often zero spots for me to park in and I am too afraid to park anywhere else because I don’t want to be towed,” Snider said. “It is a problem I face way more often than I should.”

6.  The Ongoing Project

Construction on Northern Terrace is ongoing. Currently,University Housing is adding a flower bed and are still working on opening up a computer lab. Both of these projects have left students feeling irritated. According to Snider, the addition of the flowerbed is taking up parking spaces that are essential to students and the unfinished computer lab makes her feel that there is no place for her to study in Northern Terrace besides her room.

Knuckles also thinks a finished computer lab would help a lot with the WiFi issues that Northern Terrace is experiencing.

“The WiFi here is inconsistent, it is sometimes slow and sometimes fast. It would be great if we had a working computer lab to help alleviate the problem,” Knuckles said.

7. The Meal Options

Northern Terrace’s closest meal option on campus is The Callahan Bistro Residential Dining Hall. Problems here tend to arise because the hours of operation of The Bistro are limited on the weekends. Currently, The Bistro is open until 3 p.m. on Fridays and remain closed until Sundays at 3 p.m.  

“It would be nice if The Bistro was open all weekend,” Knuckles said. “It is often a hassle to have to rely on the shuttles in order to get food on the weekends.”