By Caroline Derby, Staff Writer
September 9, 2021
from Volume 130, Issue 1: September 9, 2021
Ouachita plans to break ground on a 144-bed and $12.6 million apartment complex that will be completed in 2022. This new apartment complex is part of Ouachita’s “Project Foresight,” an initiative meant to clean up the area surrounding campus.
This apartment complex will provide another housing option for qualifying juniors and seniors. Along with this new addition, Ouachita is renovating current apartments. Tatman Corner Apartments, formerly Pine Square, was renovated during the summer.
Kinsey Potts, a senior musical theatre major from Wylie, Texas, lived in Tatman Corner before and after the renovations.
“There was originally carpet throughout the entire apartment with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen. Now, there are hardwood floors, new appliances and new paint,” Potts said. “We had problems. Last year, our dishwasher broke and there was damage in the walls. We made it homey last year, but we would never turn on the overhead lights because they were fluorescent. We had lamps everywhere.”
Potts didn’t know what to expect from the renovations. She returned to campus pleasantly surprised.
“We were told there would be updates, but we were never told just how many updates,” Potts said. “Now, it’s gorgeous.”
For students looking for apartments for the next school year, Potts said that a benefit of living in Tatman Corner was not only the updates, but also the convenient distance from campus. Tatman Corner, unlike a majority of Ouachita’s other apartment complexes, is within a short walking distance from campus. Caitlin Hetzel, director of housing and assistant director of residence life at Ouachita, is excited to witness the new apartment complex being built over the next year.
“The new apartments are two-bedroom apartments, two people per room, four to one apartment with two bathrooms, one living room and kitchen,” Hetzel said.
Hetzel enjoys seeing students form a community at college. Throughout the years of her job, she sees a lot of that community take place in the context of campus housing.
“I love that apartments are a unique situation for students as they take that step into independence and adulthood. You know all of your neighbors around you, and it’s all of the people who are OBU students and it provides a unique dynamic,” Hetzel said. “144 students will be in one spot, and that provides another opportunity to form a community dynamic.”
The new apartment complex is projected to be open and ready for use in the Fall of 2022. Tatman Corner is still being renovated on the exterior. Those renovations are expected to be complete soon.
