The new South Campus Commons building 7.

In line with university efforts to house more students, South Campus Commons 7 opened with 368 new beds Jan. 21.

But some students have concerns about their new home.

Among the issues are cracked dresser drawers, nonfunctional desks, uninstalled microwaves and $715 in fees residents paid at the beginning of the month. Some students complained the expense — which included a $300 reservation fee and $415 for January rent — charged them for days when the building was not yet open. But a South Campus Commons official said the money was going toward living costs for the duration of the eight-month lease and not for the first 20 days of the month.

“[Students] made a payment on Jan. 1, but it wasn’t like they were paying for the month of January,” said Erica Poindexter, associate director of the South Campus Commons. She clarified the money will help cover the cost of living in the building from Jan. 21 to August 1.

Still, some students were under the impression the money was only for January and thought the charge was unfair.

“I was annoyed that I had to pay the full month’s rent when I was only going to be here for five days,” junior criminology and sociology major Jenn Gardella said. “It’s kind of extortion.”

In some cases, new residents found their apartments unfinished and with poorly functioning furniture, even though the building is brand new.

According to students, many of the dresser drawers are cracked and peeling and some of the desks are broken. As a result, the university has offered to replace all of the dresser drawers and those desks that are not working, a promise they said they will fulfill during the coming weeks.

But amid the complaints about rent costs and defective furniture, residents are generally pleased with the modern facilities.

“It’s dope,” junior criminology major Adam Al-Hakim said of his new apartment. “It’s so nice.” And while his microwave has yet to be installed, Al-Hakim and his roommates haven’t noticed any other problems with their apartment. “Our room is straight,” he added.

Al-Hakim, who lived in Allegheny with six suitemates last semester, is looking forward to the extra space.

“My single last semester was comparable to a dungeon — really small and cramped,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Since I’m only living with two people this semester … I’m going to be able to get a lot more work done.”

“I feel safer walking barefoot now,” junior accounting major Linden Lee said. “It’s very clean.”

South Campus Commons officials expect the building to receive gold certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s national rating system for its sustainability features, making it only one of two such buildings on the campus, Poindexter said. The building has energy-efficient washers and dryers and water-conserving toilets that flush liquid and solid wastes differently.

“The two-button toilets were cool,” said Al-Hakim. “I’ve never seen that before.”

bpresent@umd.edu