Copper Beech hasn’t delivered on its promises, students say. 

Copper Beech, a sister apartment complex to The Grove, began construction on new apartments this summer. Students were told that their new homes would be finished at the end of the summer semester.

“They sold me lies, a whole bunch of lies,” said Thaddaeus Michel, freshman in microbiology. “I hope no one else moves here.”

The buildings were not completed at the end of the semester, leaving the complex to pay for students’ board and rent in hotels until the buildings were finished.

Students living in the complex also said they were dissatisfied with their apartments and the lack of amenities they were promised. 

“I thought I was getting a great deal — $580 for all this space, a big old pool they said they were going to have. It’s big and all, it’s just not what I was promised,” Michel said. He also said that he will not consider living at Copper Beech next year when the pool is supposed to be completed. 

“I was one of the first people to pay my rent and as soon as I paid, they lowered the rent to $510 when I’m paying close to $600. I’m still paying that. They won’t give me any explanation.”

Michel said his rent is $580 while his roommate’s rent is $520 a month.

Many students have reported broken or unusable amenities, including microwaves, refrigerators and power outlets. 

“We’ve heard that a few peoples’ air conditioning doesn’t work,” said Michael Jetter, senior in interior design. “When we moved in, we had problems with the microwave and the dishwasher.”

“My faucet isn’t working in my bathroom, so I have to use my roommate’s” said Aromal Prasad, a graduate student and Copper Beech tenant. “The outlets were not working when I moved in, but they are fixed now.”

Other students claimed that the quality of construction work was very poor in their apartments and they found evidence of construction workers using their bathrooms.

“The carpet was still being put in when my roommate arrived at 1 o’clock,” said Alex Garcia, junior in pre-business. “They didn’t tell us and only posted it on Facebook that they had changed the move-in time from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. [The] carpet wasn’t in all the way [and] beer cans in the bathtub. There was a water bottle full of pee on our kitchen floor.

“There was debris everywhere — literally everywhere — paint all over the windows. It was just awful,” Garcia said. “They’re really nice apartments — lots of space — but everything wasn’t there and we just got Internet yesterday and cable.”

Michel said he was the first to move into his apartment and he found that “somebody defecated in [his] bathroom.” Michel said his Internet still does not work. He said construction glue was all over his bathroom floor and there were holes along the tops of doors and in drywall. 

“I know they’re going to try and charge me so I took photo evidence of it and attached it to my lease,” Michel said. 

Michel and Garcia both said they are waiting for furniture to be delivered. They have been assured it is on the way, but they have not yet received it. Michel said the quality of his furniture is also low and said his couch had broken after three friends sat on it at the same time.

Seana Perkins, building official for the city of Ames, said that previous Copper Beech buildings have passed their inspections.

Campus Crest, the owners of Copper Beech, issued a statement in the light of the student’s hotel living accommodations.

“Construction delays resulted in some residents being displaced. All but one resident who signed leases with us before opening weekend have been moved into their units. We are working diligently to move the last resident in, along with two others who signed leases with us after opening weekend,” Campus Crest’s statement said. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience the delay has caused and are intensely focused on providing our residents with the highest quality living experience.”

Copper Beech management and staff gave no comments and Campus Crest has not answered specific questions about students’ living conditions. 

Makayla Tendall, assistant news editor, contributed to the story.