Collegiate Hall is quite the oxymoron, in being a reasonably attractive community visually (it's well-kept, maintained and fairy quiet at night) but the staff has demonstrated such incompetence that it's even difficult to comprehend. First off, the moment I moved into my unit in January, the place was a mess. The carpet in my room was not clean nor washed (as it was promised that it would be) along with a faulty deadlock hinge, hair found in the bathroom drawers and a lamp missing in the room. A woman from the leasing office was called and thought of her trip to fix my unit as a "hassle" and "not her responsibility", as directed towards me and my parents. It took two days on my part to get my room to adequate shape. The highly acclaimed trash-pickup service the leasing office rages about (and which you pay five dollars a month fore) rarely does its job and only when reminded incessantly. At one point, my roommate invited a friend over to stay for a few days, which I was fine about, until it became evident that he simply moved in. When I approached the staff in the leasing office about the issue, they were so slow to handle the situation and it took a handful of repeated trips by me to constantly remind them (along with balancing four classes with homework and studying). Having illegal occupants apparently is not of their concern. My roommate letting another friend stay over was a clear breach of the lease that I signed, a violation as severe as failing to pay rent. Essentially, the lease a tenant signs clearly has no significance to the management.

The priceless facet of all of this though was this past week, with the management notifying me that I could not renew my lease nor make a new one. When I inquired of the reason of this action, they refused to say and simply brushed me off. Obviously, I was bring kicked out for following what I had signed (and being adamant that my roommate follow his), because a month ago before my roommate invited his friend over, I was asked by the leasing office if I wanted to renew my lease. The evidence is thorough and just shows the incompetence of what the Collegiate Hall management runs: discrimination of people following the agreement which they signed upon moving to the premises. This place is not a reputable business. The management has no concept of contractual agreements and I would not recommend this establishment to anyone I know. I'm leaving this August and never looking back.

So, in closing, this is what should determine whether or not you wish to reside here: if you're here to party (as many USF students do, since they're on government aid or relying on taxpayer money) along with not caring how your dorm or surroundings look, then this place is for you. However, if you're here to study along with keeping the place you pay for monthly in order and expect the management to do the same, then you're better off someplace else.

Update (10/5/2009): I just want to reiterate; if you're looking for a credible establishment and are a serious student, please look elsewhere.

- Nathan (resident from January to July, '09)

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