The Rowan greeted residents with dirty apartments and broken appliances on move-in day, according to residents.
Their buildings were also inspected by the Richland County Fire Marshall a week later, according to WLTX. This came after a fire team responded to a call at the apartment complex.
Responses from management in regards to residents' complaints about instances, such as these, of safety, cleanliness as well as crime at off-campus housing complexes like The Rowan, Palmetto Compress, and The Retreat have made students feel unsatisfied.
Zoe Baker, a second-year environmental science student, said she spent three hours cleaning before she was able to move her things into her apartment at The Rowan.
Her air conditioning was broken in the August heat, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees in her bedroom. Baker filed a request to have it repaired. It was fixed a week later.
Andrew Levy, a second-year biochemistry student, had similar issues after moving into The Rowan. He said his apartment’s air conditioning unit was broken for the first two nights, and he dealt with bug problems.
He said he felt “cheated” because his tour of The Rowan showed the positives but said the reality is the opposite.
Second-year finance student Taylor Pannell said he found holes in the wall and cockroaches littering the floor when he moved in at The Rowan. He filed at least 20 service requests promptly after move-in. Pannell said most of the service requests had been completed within three weeks.
Dan Oltersdorf, the chief people officer at Campus Advantage — the company that owns The Rowan — wrote that the move-in day "fell short of the high standards by which we operate."
Most of the concerns brought to management have been resolved, Oltersdorf wrote over email.
Cullen Faulkner pays $70 each month for parking in Palmetto Compress' back gravel lot in an "absolutely terrible parking lot" where multiple robbery reports have taken place.
Faulkner, a third-year criminal justice and business administration student, has warned students to stay away from the housing complex.
“(Don't live) with Palmetto Compress until there’s been changes made, and they’re able to talk to somebody that can confirm that,” Faulkner said.
According to Andrew Aldi, a second-year exercise science student who also lives at Palmetto Compress, someone tampered with a converter on his car on Sept. 18.
A catalytic converter's cost to replace one after being stolen ranges from about $1,100 to $2,600, according to insurance company Insurance Panda. Aldi has heard that it's a popular item to steal. Aldi said he filed a police report online on Sept. 19, and his dad went to Palmetto Compress' management to look at security tapes.
Aldi said the Columbia Police Department hasn't responded to him yet, and he hasn't had a chance to follow up with management about the security tapes.
"I'm still figuring out what to do next," Aldi said.
Palmetto Compress declined to comment on Sept. 20 about any of the residents' complaints.
The Retreat was the site of a shooting overnight on Sept. 4, according to ABC Columbia, and residents have reported multiple items being stolen. In addition, Cole Coffee, a second-year chemical engineering student, struggled with service requests being completed.
Coffee said he filed a work request in late August, changed it to an emergency work order, but ended up fixing it himself.
“It feels like they’re not really willing to take the blame or address any actual issues,” Coffee said.
The Daily Gamecock reached out to The Retreat on Sept. 19 but did not receive a response.
The Daily Gamecock obtained police reports at The Retreat from the City of Cayce police department. Between August 1 and September 30, Cayce police filed 11 reports. There were four reports of motor vehicle theft, one report of larceny, 2 reports of vandalism of motor vehicles and two assaults. There was one shooting.
Attempts were made to reach USC's Off-Campus Housing office on Sept. 9 and 21, but The Daily Gamecock did not receive a response.
Some residents have begun to take matters into their own hands after the unsatisfying response from management. Many residents at Palmetto Compress made their own logs of thefts and shootings. Faulkner said he and other residents of Palmetto Compress have recorded at least 20 instances of crime from this school year alone.
Faulkner said that one resident, acting as a representative for many residents, sent an email to management after multiple individual emails had been sent with no responses.
According to Faulkner, Palmetto Compress' management said they would hire a security officer to walk around its gravel parking lot in the evening hours.
"A courtesy officer (to) walk around the parking lot during the evening hours, not during the night time, which is when all this stuff is happening," Faulkner said.
The Daily Gamecock was unable to reach Palmetto Compress over the phone on Oct. 11, Oct. 12 and Oct. 17 to confirm if a security guard had been hired.
Student residents are divided on whether they will stay in their current complexes next year, given the problems they have faced from their respective management teams.
Levy, Baker and Pannell from The Rowan said they want to move, but breaking leases is complicated. Pannell is willing to deal with the issues to stay with her roommates. Also, cheap housing is a plus, according to Levy, and rent at the Rowan starts at $690, according to its website.
Aldi said that unless Palmetto Compress fixes issues, he's not sure if he wants to live there for his third year at USC.
The Retreat is the only place he can afford, so he plans to re-sign next year, Coffee said. He went on:
“It’s kind of toeing the line between cheap and extremely dangerous."
