MacEwan University Residence

The air in the building is awful. Even with my window shut, smoky, rancid outside air comes through a vent I can’t close. Construction is another problem: Macewan residence seems to take on as much as possible at once, then move at the slowest pace. The visitation rules feel backward and poorly thought out. Restricting visitors only penalizes residents who want to socialize where they live, and the policy feels isolating. There’s little in place to control noise, and the staff I dealt with were mostly rude and incompetent. The policy needs updating. I’d pay a little more to live somewhere else.

Our son has lived here for three years while studying at Macewan University. The front desk staff are consistently welcoming and helpful, and the place is always clean. Great location for students.

The heat was unbearable for me, especially in summer. There’s a thermostat, but no real climate control, and I had heat rash for five months that left my back scarred. Noise is constant too: the walls are paper thin, and people yell, run through the halls, and knock on doors at all hours. Bikes have nowhere indoors to go, so they’re exposed to theft, vandalism, and vomit. There are fire evacuations almost every other week, while construction and elevator maintenance can drag on for months. Contractors and maids may enter your room without notice. Outside, there are foul vagrants who sometimes have drug fueled outbursts and regularly defecate on school grounds at night.

The students are kind and friendly, and the place is kept clean and tidy. Most of the front desk staff are understanding and nice. One person there, though, is so blunt and hard to approach that dealing with her feels like, “ugh, she’s in, I don’t want to deal with her.” It’s a great place otherwise, but that one staff member brings my rating down to 4/5.