University Housing adopts new name for North Campus units

To borrow from Shakespeare, what's in a name? In the case of the five-complex, 1,450 apartments and townhouses on North Campus, a new name reflects the evolving demographic mix of student, faculty and staff residents more accurately than the name that had been in place since the end of World War II.

Industrial engineering senior Jevon Reynolds walks to class from his North Campus residence. More than 500 undergraduates can be housed at the former Northwood III complex, units that previously had been used primarily as family housing. University Housing recently changed the name to Northwood Community Apartments. (Photo by Scott Galvin, U-M Photo Services)

University Housing and the Division of Student Affairs have announced that, effective immediately, Northwood Community Apartments is the new name for the University's North Campus apartment housing, replacing the longstanding Family Housing. Providing student families with affordable on-campus housing in a welcoming international community remains one of University Housing's highest priorities, say housing leaders.

"Family Housing at Michigan was originally developed at the conclusion of World War II when many students with families pursued a college degree under the GI bill," says Carole Henry, director of University Housing and assistant vice president for student affairs. During most of the years since the first U-M housing for families was established at the former Willow Run military base, non-traditional students—including married students and same-sex domestic partners with or without children and single parents—have been the predominant group of residents in North Campus apartments.

"However, over the last several years, we are now housing larger numbers of upperclass undergraduates and single graduate students, and we determined that it was desirable and appropriate for the name of the community to more accurately reflect contemporary student populations living in our apartments and townhouses."

The Family Housing Community Center will be renamed the Northwood Community Center, and the name of the department that oversees the apartments, including staff, facilities, programs, services and resident relations will be the Northwood Community Apartments Office, in place of the Family Housing Office.

University Housing solicited feedback on the name change from current residents and staff prior to making a final decision. "We were very pleased to learn that the majority of students who responded agreed with the change we proposed," Henry says.

Michigan has tracked similarly to peer institutions around the country that have experienced a multi-year decline in applications for on-campus housing from student families, which has resulted in opening up the apartments on North Campus to other student populations. Northwood III now is devoted to housing up to 500 undergraduates, offering them since 2004 an on-campus apartment option similar to what has proven to be very popular on other campuses. Single graduate students are eligible to rent any apartment or townhouse in Northwood I, II, IV and V on an individual or shared basis.

Applications from students with families, according to Henry, will continue to have the highest priority to be offered available vacancies.

University Housing's support for student families is longstanding, notably through the North Campus Family Health Services; a licensed and nationally accredited Child Development Center; and the English Language Program for non-native speakers, including partners and children.