This summer University Housing was busy doing renovations. A coat of paint here, furniture there and even some new plumbing — University Housing spread out over campus this summer renovating or replacing aging buildings and furniture.

With the start of a new semester upon us once again, there are many different student impressions of the changes across campus.

Tan Tran, a resident advisor in Metcalf Residence Hall and junior in aerospace engineering, lived in the hall last year and was pleased with the new beds the dorm received.   He said they are comfortable and “very easy to assemble and disassemble.”

Tran’s sentiments were shared by Emma Nelli, a freshman in business management, who said she was very happy with her new home on the 5th floor of Bragaw Residence Hall. Speaking of the new beds, she said, “I like them.”

New beds in Bragaw and Metcalf Halls are now easy to loft, creating extra living space in some of campus’s smaller rooms.

Six dorms got upgrades over the summer.   Tucker and Owen Residence Halls received new dressers and desks; Gold and Welch Residence Halls received upgraded fire escapes; North Residence Hall received upgrades to its plumbing and roof; and the north side of Bragaw Hall was retrofitted with new lighting, plumbing and furniture.

Susan Grant, director of University Housing, was very excited about the improvements from the summer and the move-in weekend. ‘This is the best time of the year,” she said.

The improvements were a contributing factor to a notable rise in housing renewals this year. More than 45 percent of this year’s residents lived in University Housing last year — an increase of almost 3 percent over the previous year’s retention.

Lindsey Johns, resident director of North and Watauga and graduate student in higher education administration, was happy with the improvements to North Hall. “It makes it look a lot nicer,” she said.

North Hall had 30 percent of its students return from last year despite the construction on Hillsborough Street.