Gabriel Corbin
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — The Nest at University Center, a new student apartment complex located on the edge of the Winthrop University campus, opened this semester with a few setbacks.

The complex, which is home to roughly 300 students from Winthrop and York Technical College, opened to residents Aug. 21, but a number of items — including desks, coffee tables and barstools — arrived roughly three weeks late.  Also, computers and printers in shared study spaces were unavailable, due to an electrical issue.

Josh Ragland, property manager for The Nest, said supply issues were responsible for the delays with the missing furniture.

“We were only missing a few pieces,” said Ragland. “Everyone still had a bed, a mattress, a frame, a headboard, so you were not missing necessities, but as you can see in current news, there are many challenges in the world with the supply chain right now. As sad as it sounds, it’s completely out of our control.” 

Ragland also said hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana at the end of August, also contributed to the delays. 

“People were taken away from what they were doing to go work down there,” Ragland said. “There are articles online about this issue, and finding laborers and truck drivers is a lot different than it used to be.” 

On Sept. 9, movers delivered the last of the furniture to The Nest and residents said they were glad to see the last of their stuff arrive.

“Overall, I do like living here at the Nest, but I wish they would’ve been on top of that before letting us all move in,” said Roderick Washington, a Winthrop student majoring in human nutrition and a resident of the Nest.

“When the furniture started showing up, I felt relieved that I was able to do my work in my own space,” said Washington. “I kind of like staying in my own space when I study.”

Ragland said the complex tried to keep residents informed about the delays.

“We sent out notifications when stuff would be delayed, so we stayed on top of that alerting the students about the problems,” Ragland said. “I’m sure people were disappointed without the desks and barstools, but they did come a short period afterward.”

A number of students said they appreciated the efforts.

“They were really good at keeping us updated,” said Aleyah Carter, a psychology major at Winthrop and nest resident.

“I really appreciate The Nest for being so transparent and upfront with us,” said Bernard Hasan, a nest resident and business administration major at Winthrop. “I very much appreciated it for them to keep us in touch and up to date about everything that was going on.”

However, some students reported other issues with the Nest. Some residents complained about a lack of prorated rent for August, which included paying for the entire month, while only living there for a week-and-a-half.

“I felt like that was weird,” said Washington. “I felt like (rent) should’ve been $200 or less. I felt like I wasn’t getting what I was paying for.”

Despite the issues, residents still report being satisfied with living at the new complex.

“The Nest is a nice place and it has a lot of things to offer, like the pool and the clubhouse and the study rooms are pretty cool too,” said Washington.

The Nest has also received a number of positive reviews online, with some residents calling it “absolutely perfect” and saying they’re “more than pleased with the community.”

 

U-Hauls arrived at the Nest on Sept. 9 to deliver the missing desks, coffee tables and bar stools the complex originally said would be a few weeks prior on Aug. 23 (photo: Gabe Corbin).
A mover hired by the Nest delivers furniture that was delayed. The Nest said the missing tables and barstools were delayed because of a supply and demand issue, which was happening all over the U.S. (photo: Gabe Corbin).
Some of these boxes contained remnants of the packing containing the late-arriving furniture at The Nest, including desks, coffee tables and barstools (photo: Gabe Corbin).
The Nest, a new apartment complex located on the edge of the Winthrop campus, opened on Aug. 21, but students moved in without some of the promised furniture — including desks, coffee tables and bar stools — which would not be delivered until nearly three weeks later (photo: Gabe Corbin).
Roderick Washington, a senior at Winthrop University, studies on his bed prior to the furniture installation. He said the Nest was transparent with updates about the missing furniture, but he said he wished that the furniture would have been there when he moved in (photo: Gabe Corbin).
Residents at The Nest had to move the missing furniture into their apartments themselves after it was delivered nearly three weeks late (photo: Gabe Corbin).
Malik Smith, one of the Nest’s new tenants, studies on one of the desks that was installed Sept. 9, roughly three weeks after students first moved into the complex (photo: Gabe Corbin).