Earlier this year, John Carroll University announced the Fairmount Circle apartment complex would be added to the various housing options for junior and senior residents beginning in fall 2024.
Three of the six Fairmount Circle apartment buildings went under renovations in March and were completed before the start of the 2024-2025 term. The first phase of these improvements began while long time tenants still had time on their lease.
Students currently reside in Fairmount Gardens, Fairmount North and Fairmount South. The remaining structures (Fairmount Villas, North Park Apartments and North Park Manor) are set to have refurbishments done sometime in 2026.
Many upperclassmen were eager to experience living off-campus in newly modernized apartments that would give them not only more independence but close access to campus and nearby business complexes. However, a short time after moving in, some residents began having issues with different components of their apartments.
“Many of our appliances [in our kitchen] are not [working properly] which makes it very hard to do things,” Lydia Brouse ’26 told The Carroll News. “Currently, our dishwasher and garbage disposal are not working, which has caused us a major headache. After multiple work orders were submitted, it still has not been fixed.”
Brouse continued, “Our living and dining rooms were not installed with blinds and we are on the first floor, which allows anyone on the street to see directly into our apartment. We have been told to put in a work order and that we will have to wait at least a week or so for blinds to be installed.”
“I was very disappointed with JCU and their ability to provide adequate renovations,” Justin Funkhouser ’25 shared with The Carroll News. “I was without a shower for multiple days until a plumber came and snaked my drain after water came up from it.”
“From the nightmare of not being able to reliably shower to half my kitchen being unusable, I wish John Carroll was more transparent about these issues coming in and letting us know that Facilities would be fixing problems instead of us having to discover them ourselves” Funkhouser said.
Parking has been difficult for some, as permits were mostly sold out and there is no access to parking garages despite having a garage door opener. JCU Parking informed The Carroll News that these parking concerns “are being addressed” and “students with issues getting into the [parking] garage need to reach out to IT to get [them] addressed.” JCU Facilities received feedback about the buildings’ garages being too dark, so they are currently upgrading the lighting.
Several parents of Fairmount Circle residents expressed their concerns about apartment conditions on the Facebook group “John Carroll University Parents.”
“My daughter was shaken today to walk into an unlocked apartment with a chair displaced from the kitchen table,” one parent lamented. “Appliances can be fixed, but my child’s safety and security being compromised is unacceptable.”
“[We] moved our daughter into Fairmount on the second floor,” said another. “Her room was 85 [degrees] so we got a portable air conditioner. She also had no water running to the dishwasher and under her kitchen sink was flooded. Her window does not stay open and slams shut in the living room and blinds are missing.”
“My son is in Fairmount South,” a parent said. “His [air conditioner] isn’t working and there’s no screen in his windows. He put in a request for a screen, but they told him it’s not a priority.”
Jeremiah Swetel, assistant vice president of Facilities and Auxiliary Services at JCU, oversaw some of the issues that arose during the renovation process at Fairmount Gardens, Fairmount North and Fairmount South.
“The most significant disruption came from the tornadoes that hit northeast Ohio on Aug. 6,” Swetel explained. “The resulting power outages, the largest storm-related in northeast Ohio since 1993, affected the area from Aug. 6 to Aug. 11. This downtime came during crucial project days, preventing us from normal pre-move in checks, including but not limited to, conducting appliance checks, plumbing checks and completing normal walkthroughs.”
Swetel stated that a number of work orders have been received since students began moving into the Fairmount Circle apartments. He told The Carroll News, “Work orders connected to the renovation, such as warranty issues, are being handled by Independence Construction. Coral Management has taken responsibility for the majority of other work orders.”
Swetel continued, “JCU Facilities, however, handles issues related to locks and access for security reasons. Additionally, JCU assists Coral and Independence to expedite service to students.”
Independence Construction, Coral Management and JCU Facilities are actively addressing work orders and providing updates regarding statuses. While the majority of them have been resolved at this time, some are still in progress.
On Aug. 27, the Office of Residence Life emailed every JCU Fairmount Circle resident, notifying them that “we are actively working to install a small temporary air conditioning unit in each apartment living room that currently lacks air conditioning or has a non-functional unit. If your apartment does not have an air conditioner by 4:00 p.m. today, please contact [The Office of Residence Life] and we will coordinate with Facilities to ensure a unit is installed promptly.”
Despite the difficulty with having broken appliances, backed up water, no air conditioning and garage doors that don’t open, students still enjoy the change of scenery while living off-campus.
“I really enjoy living off campus,” Brouse said. “It gives me the opportunity to feel more independent and have a space that is disassociated with school and work.”
Julia Sansoterra ’26 has had an enjoyable experience with her apartment so far, telling The Carroll News that “our apartment has been pretty good overall.”
Swetel also told The Carroll News, “We acknowledge that the move-in process has had some growing pains, and we apologize for the inconveniences students have experienced. However, we’re excited about how the apartment renovations have revitalized the front of campus and are confident that, once a few remaining issues are addressed, these apartments will be a great living space for students throughout the rest of the school year and from now on.”