Report: The Foundry Apartments To Rename

 


The Foundry Apartments will rename to overcome poor brand image from prior ownership, according to an unconfirmed report from Executive Director of Housing Dr. Joe Berthiaume.

"I can't go into any details yet, but there will be an announcement sometime probably between now and Christmas most likely: The Foundry will have a new name to help overcome that [negative] reputation [it gained under previous ownership]," he told student government Tuesday.

The Foundry has not yet responded to a request for comment. 

The Foundry Apartments, a privately-owned apartment complex across the street from The University of Texas at Tyler, previously garnered a negative reputation after multiple on-site shootings in 2020 and reports of poor conditions.

However, new owners have made dedicated attempts to raise standards at The Foundry and overcome the complex's poor image, Berthiaume said.

"When we first looked at The Foundry, our initial reaction was, 'No way. We're not going to do it,'" he told student government. "But then The Foundry came into new ownership and with new ownership came a new management company. When we engaged with them, they began talking to us and telling us what they were doing and the commitment they were going to make to UT-Tyler to be good partners and good neighbors."

"The Foundry staff evicted about two-thirds of the people that were living there," Berthiaume said "They said, 'We're going to get rid of the bad apples and whatnot and we're cleaning out and we're going to set higher standards. We want your students to come here, have a good experience and not encounter problems.'"

"We can never guarantee 100 percent safety, but they have made a serious effort over there, including the installation of [flock?] cameras and other stuff," he said. "We have RAs over there, we have university police patrolling the lots and things like that."

"The Foundry that you see today is not The Foundry that has the reputation. I want to be clear with that," he said. 

Its Contract

The Foundry currently holds a one-year contract with UT-Tyler to house university students. The University now occupies a block of seven buildings on The Foundry complex and its students pay a lower package rate for internet, water and other amenities, according to Dean of Students Andee Pettee, who also spoke to student government Tuesday. These lower prices the University negotiated as part of the partnership, Pettee said.

The contract has options to continue and comes up for renewal in January. University administrators have been seeking student feedback and have not yet said whether it will renew. 

[However, it looks to me as though they are postured to renew given the administrators' enthusiasm for The Foundry. 

[It also appears so because of how occupying The Foundry's facilities looks to be the fastest and most convenient way for administrators to compensate for the institution's housing shortage. I imagine the University will expand to consume more Foundry buildings should it decide to renew its contract.] 

What do you think? Should the University renew its contract?

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Feature Image: "Apartment for Rent"  by Jun Acullador via Flickr

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