As approximately 8,000 students scrambled to move into residence halls this weekend, one part of campus managed to stay apart from the frenzy.

Almost everyone in E.S. King Village, an apartment complex run by University Housing, is already settled in and doing everyday activities, such as hanging laundry on a clothesline or reading on a park bench.

“We don’t have traditional move-in because it’s year round process. We’re more lease-based.   People can move in any time of the year,” University Housing coordinator for student apartments Arthur Sweeney said.

Something that also sets it apart from traditional student housing is the bulk of the residents is graduate students and students with families, even though students of all ages are welcome, according to Sweeney.

Tim Blair, associate director of University housing, said one of its residents came back to school after her children graduated from high school.

The affiliation with the University combined with the benefit of its privacy lends itself to ethnic diversity, as well as age diversity, as several graduate students want to have their own apartment while still being able to be on campus.

“It’s daunting when you come over from another country if you don’t know the area or who the landlords are, but here you know the landlord and trust it. What better landlord is there than the University?” Sweeney said.

Isaac Tetteh, who is starting his third year as an resident adviser. in E.S. King, said he enjoys living there because it provides a rare opportunity for him to interact with people from different cultures.

“It’s exciting to be here in a multicultural environment,” Tetteh said. “The different people and cultures prepare you for the future because wherever you go, you’re not going to work with just locals. You will be working on an international level.”

Tetteh also said being an R.A. in E.S. King is different than working with 18- and 19-year-olds because they also has to know how to cater to people of all ages, from children to middle-age students. 

“We have children’s programs satisfy goals of community, but we also have programs for adults, married couples, ” Tetteh said.

Sweeney said because E.S. King is a family friendly environment, their R.A.s have to think differently than those in other halls and create programs to entertain the students that live there as well as their children.

Even though most of the students that live in E. S. King lead different lives, they still manage to stay a part of campus.

“We’re pretty well-connected to campus,” Sweeney said. “Residents may have to work a little harder to get connected to campus, but sometimes there are students who live in the center of campus who have that problem.”

Residents of E.S. King aren’t limited to the amenities of the other on-campus students. The apartment complex has its own amenities, including a tennis court, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a soccer field, a playground, outdoor grills and students can also rent a plot of a garden to plant their own fruits and vegetables.

“I just came here two weeks ago, and I like it because it’s quiet. I enjoy the garden,” Zhiong Wang, a graduate student in biology, said.