DeKALB | It’s Michael Moore’s first semester living in the university apartments and it may be his last.

Moore, a sophomore political science major, said he plans on looking elsewhere after this semester because of the apartments’ size and “run-down” condition.

“Most people don’t stay here too long,” Moore said. “Most only stay for about one semester and then move into the University Plaza or somewhere else.”

However, in Aug. 2007, Moore will be given the option of moving into a brand new facility. Beginning Oct. 6, the existing 80-unit apartment complex, also known as the “married living,” or “students with dependents” housing, will be decommissioned upon completion of a new facility and will no longer serve as a residence, said Kelly Wesener, executive director for housing and dining. The new facility will be northwest of Stevenson Towers and is scheduled to completed by Aug. 17, 2007. The new facility will have about 120 apartments. Rather than mainly single-bedroom units, it will be configured as one-, two- and three-bedroom units, Wesener said.

The project, approved by the board of trustees on March 23, will be designed, constructed and financed by the nonprofit group Collegiate Development Services of Texas, said Eddie Williams, executive vice president for business and finance.

“None of [NIU’s] money is directly going into construction,” Williams said. “That’s why it’s so exciting.”

No student fees will be used for the project either, he said. Though Collegiate Development Services will be setting the cost of rent the new occupants will pay, student affairs will be involved in managing the project to make sure all costs are fair to students, Williams said.

Today, NIU President John Peters will recommend to the trustees that the board approve and enter into a ground lease with Collegiate that will provide day-to-day operations of the facility when it’s built, Peters said.

Ground-breaking for the facility will take place at 1 p.m. on Oct. 12 on the far west side of campus, said Brian Hemphill, vice president of student affairs.

The current apartments for students with dependents were built in 1959, he said.

“The apartments were not designed for the needs of today’s student and no longer meet the health and space standards for family living,” he said. “Furthermore, the existing facility lacks the structural and mechanical integrity to warrant renovation.”

Michelle Gibbons is a Campus Reporter for the Northern Star.