The student housing on campus, known as The Nest, has its ups and downs. One resident, Destiny Reed, said that the Nest has been convenient for her busy schedule. She said the commute is easy to get to class and she is aware of all the campus events. Reed said the only downside about living at the Nest is that the internet is sometimes slow and that laundry rooms are not always clean. 

The Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Terry Mena said that the internet was upgraded in the fall of 2022. Mena also stated that Nest staff have not received any complaints or concerns regarding the internet during the 2022 and 2023 academic years. “Any problems or work order requests should be reported to Nest staff through the Resident Portal App”, said Mena.

As for the laundry rooms at the Nest, Mena has said that the cleaning of laundry rooms has improved immensely since the fall of 2022. However, Mena said that it is a community effort. “Often, students spilled detergent on the floor, dropped dryer sheets and lint on the floor, and made no effort to clean it up. Nest staff cannot be in the laundry rooms 24/7, 365,” Mena said “The laundry room would remain cleaner if residents cleaned up after themselves.” 

Additionally, in the fall of 2022, faculty increased the cleaning schedule throughout the Nest including the laundry room and trash rooms. “We call upon all resident community members to help keep these spaces clean”, Mena said.

The Nest is designed primarily for NEIU students. Faculty and staff of NEIU may request to live at The Nest with approval from the Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students office. “People who are not affiliated with NEIU may not live in The Nest. Any unauthorized individuals should be reported to the NEST staff, Office of Student Affairs, or NEIU Police Department”, said Mena.

Reed said aside from the few shortcomings of the Nest, she would recommend the Nest to students at NEIU because, aside from it being convenient for class, there are many study rooms and you can get a peace of mind there.

Mena also recommends the Nest for a number of reasons some of which are listed below:

• The Nest has staff (both student and professional) available to residents 24/7.

• It is much easier to make friends living in The Nest, in comparison to just going to class. The Nest offers Living Learning Communities, programming, spaces to study together, support, motivation, etc., to help students build connections with each other.

• On-campus housing facilities such as The Nest, offer extra security. This includes ID access to the building and elevators 24/7, a security guard, security cameras, student and professional staff on call, student staff and security guards that complete rounds of the building multiple times per night, electronic keys to access unit and bedroom doors that can be deactivated if lost. Off-campus, residences typically do not offer these items.

• Living on campus and in The Nest, residents will gain personal development opportunities and skills. Just by living on campus, residents will learn problem-solving skills, learn about social justice, and live in a shared community as well as sustainable practices to follow. Residents are encouraged to take personal responsibility for the residence hall community and campus community, all while having the support of trained staff to help them along the way and grow their independence and self-aware of their ability to work with others.