Last Monday, July 14, the Fannie Mae Foundation presented the Madison Park Development Corporation a Maxwell Award of Excellence. The award, a $50,000 grant, was given to the company to honor the Davenport Commons development.

Let’s face it, the students here at Northeastern have it pretty good when it comes to on-campus housing. All jokes aside on availability issues, most students know that NU provides students with amenities that are most scarce on other college campuses.

Students who lived on campus their freshman year may not be singing the praises of living in those dust-cells, that have no air-conditioning, and bathrooms that were shared amongst 60 other people. And most would never go back. Moving into upperclass housing is like entering a special club, a secret society only open to those who were retained after their freshman year.

Upperclass residents have the kitchens, the bathrooms, and, thankfully, the air-conditioning. But more than that, they have the promise from the school that it will not stop there. That it can, and will, get better.

Behold, West Campus G and H will soon open and afford Northeastern students even more housing options for the future. It would certainly be easy for the university to erect residence hall after residence hall of one bedroom freshman-like suites, to house the excess students who require housing. This is how most other schools house their students for their entire tenure at the school.

But Northeastern has maintained its commitment with “spoiling” its upperclassmen, allowing them to upgrade year after year, that is of course, if they obtain a lottery number and are not wait-listed.

Northeastern residence halls are also close to campus, another aspect of on campus-housing some of NU students might take for granted. And after this quarter NU housing at Simmons College will cease to exist, making the transfer process more appealing to those considering coming to Northeastern.

Housing is expensive, and not all places are as nice as the others, but it can be said that housing has been rapidly improving since the opening of West Campus. It’s quality housing such as this that makes it hard for some students to pick apartment buildings and total independence over the comfort of a Northeastern single suite-style apartment. And with the addition of more and more beds scheduled over the next couple of years, it will become even harder.

There is a lot to complain about here at Northeastern. High tuition, lack of co-op jobs or even the much publicized student apathy. But if there is one thing we can be thankful for, it should be the housing.

If a susbstantial grant to a contractor doesn’t say something, then go live on Boston University’s campus for a summer. Although the university’s newest residence hall boasts West Village-esque units and is housing 60 freshman at the Hotel Commonwealth, those luxury accommodations are few and far between.

So to the student body, test the alternative if you are not satisfied with NU. Oh, and bring a fan with you.