This semester, the Northern View Community is focused on building a community that can accommodate students, while creating a sense of unity among the residents.

With the school year underway, one question students may have is: has Northern View made changes to ensure a smoother year?

Northern View is an apartment complex offered by NIU for non-traditional students, graduate students or students with special circumstances, which may include students with children, partners and professional careers.

Northern View experienced complications after opening for the Fall 2007 semester. Construction on the building was unfinished, and heavy rains on move-in day resulted in flooding, which in turn hampered construction more. Some rooms contained faulty amenities and some were missing them altogether. As a result, some students were temporarily relocated to Grant North until conditions in the buildings of Northern View were livable as reported by the Northern Star on Sept. 3 and 5.

While there haven’t been many changes since last year, NIU’s Housing and Dining still has plans to improve the quality of life for residents at Northern View.

Michael Stang, executive director of housing and dining, said the events of last year were unexpected.

“We couldn’t have anticipated evacuating the people the day after they moved in, and we don’t anticipate that will happen again,” Stang said. “A number of students have returned from last year to this year and due to the nice weather we’re off to a better start.”

Schafaris Knighten, a sophomore human resource management major and returning resident, said overall the experience at Northern View has been beneficial.

“There have been some ups and downs, but I’ve enjoyed my experience here,” Knighten said. “At this point in my student life and career, I wouldn’t live anywhere else because I’m a single parent.”

New residents are also having positive experiences with Northern View.

Hollie Sadoff, a junior psychology major said the building appealed to her for several reasons.

“I chose Northern View because I am a single parent,” Sadoff said. “I like that it’s kid-friendly and I like that it’s really close to campus. It’s really convenient. It’s also a nice way to get away from the craziness of the dorms. It’s quieter out here.”

One of the goals of Northern View is to create a stronger sense of camaraderie among residents.

“We’ll begin the process a little more intentionally about creating a sense of community out there,” Stang said. “Last year, we initiated the community counsels which is similar to the hall counsels in the residence halls, but they were just getting started last year. So this year we should be able to build on that foundation, and build a strong community for the residents who live there.”