U-MEADOWS RESIDENTS ASSAIL MANAGEMENT

Privacy, leases, safety remain concerns at apartment complex

by Bill Rolfes

The University Meadows Apartments is holding residents for its third year now, and some residents are fed up with them. Residents have complained about maintenance, security, and management problems.

One student, Lou Rohr, was outraged when he received a letter stating that management decided not to renew his lease.

He said he approached Amber Parrish, the Meadows' managing director, about his lease but she would give him no reason for not renewing his lease.

Parrish said she is not allowed to comment about situation dealing with residents and discipline.

Rohr said the letter requesting him to vacate his appartment was slid inder the door.

"Amber is trying to sneakily run me out of here," Rohr said.

Several weeks later, Rohr received a flier in the mail from the Meadows that reads: "Can we please change your mind? . . . We would love for you to stay."

The flier lists "the real costs of moving," which totals $1,095.

Rohr said he would have liked to stay.

Other residents were upset when they moved out and didn't get their entire deposits back. Dave Reddy, a biology major, got $47 back from his $170 deposit when he moved out in May. He said he cleaned everything, but he was deducted for a dirty bathroom and a dirty bedroom.

"They (management) are unprofessional, money-hungry people," Reddy said.

Parrish said reidents can appeal their refunds. She said many residents did not receive their entire deposits back when they moved out in May.

"There is a difference between waer and tear and down right damage," she said.

Parrish said some apartments had writing on the walls and iron burns in the carpets.

She said residents who moved out Aug. 8 were "more respectful."

Amy Adams, a junior, moved out Aug. 8, because she was unhappy with how the Meadows were managed.

"This place is really unsafe," she added. "That gate only worked half the time."

The gear box was broken because a car had hit the gate, Parrish said. The gate works now, but the residents need to help make the environment safer, Parrish said. She suggested that if a visitor is at the call box, a resident should not open the gate because any outsider could follow the resident past the gate.

Adams said that the maintenance workers also made her feel unsafe. She recalled one time when she and some of her friends were inside her apartment and a maintenance worker entered without knocking.

Adams said she asked the man if she could help him, and he turned around and left without saying a word.

Security is just one of the issues a group of residents, the Tenants Association, want to address. Dan Vasey, the group's leader, has written out bylaws and wants to gain University recognition as a student organization.

"Our purpose is to bring awareness to the tenants, to educate them," Vasey said. "A lot of these students are out of high school and they don't know that if something breaks in your apartment, management is supposed to fix it right away."

Vasey said he has not had many problems with the management. Instead, the Tenants Association wants "the University to provide the tenants with some services," Vasey said.

UM-St. Louis owns the land on which the Meadows are built, but Century Property in Houston manages the apartments. The University will take over management after the meadows have been operating for 30 years.

Sometimes the University does get involved with affairs at the Meadows.

Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Karl Beeler said some student have brought complaints about the Meadows to him, but not many.

He said the compaints usually come from studentd who have not made an effort to communicate with the management.

"They need to just take a breath and meet calmly with the management," Beeler said.