The Online Reflector

By Marcus Whalbring
Entertainment Editor

Living on campus may cost money, but living off campus may cost some a degree.

“Studies have shown that students who live on campus are more connected. They have higher grade point averages, and they are more likely to persist until graduation,” said Kory Vitangeli, dean of students.

At UIndy, students may wonder whether the benefits of living on campus outweigh the benefits of commuting and vice versa.

According to a summary sheet of the fall 2007 semester provided by Mark Weigand, vice president of enrollment and student affairs, nearly 48 percent of the 2,562 students enrolled as full-time, undergraduate day students live on campus.

According to Ron Wilks, director of Admissions, an on-campus resident is defined as a student who lives either in the residence halls or the campus apartments. Although College Crossing at National is affiliated with the university, students who live there are considered commuters.

While the number of students who commute is nearly equal to the number of campus residents, the percentage of freshmen who are on-campus residents is about 88 percent.

According to Wilks, incoming freshman are usually encouraged to live on campus rather than commute.

“I think it goes back to just feeling like a part of the community,” Wilks said. “I think it’s a little bit harder to get involved [as a commuter]. Another thing we try to stress is just being able to meet new people. Sometimes living in the residence halls can be an education in itself because of the people you meet.”

Vitangeli said that another benefit of living on campus is the close proximity to classes and the student center for study groups.

A small number of incoming freshmen are required to live on campus for at least a year.

According to Wilks, these students fall into two categories: the first is a contingent student, one whose academic performance is near the lowest requirements for acceptance; and the second is an advised student, one who may have good marks in one academic area such as test scores, GPA or class ranking but falls short in other areas. This is the first year for the advised student policy.

Wilks also said that studies have shown a higher rate of retention for contingent students who lived on campus than students who lived as commuters.

Wilks and Vintangeli said that the benefits of living as a commuter depended on both the person and the living situation.

According to Vitangeli, living in an apartment may or may not be financially stable.

“I have students tell me that they can get an apartment with four other people, and it ends up being less than living on campus,” she said. “But I don’t know if that’s always the case, though, because I don’t know if students always factor in things like the cost of cable and telephone and Internet and trash.”

Some benefits of living on or off campus come down to personal preference.

Junior Joan Savage said that, aside from having more privacy, she prefers living off campus for a few other reasons.

“I wanted a pet,” she said. “If I had lived in the dorms, I couldn’t have even had a turtle.”

Savage also said that she was a little hesitant to receive a roommate that she didn’t know, and she expressed concern about whether she would be guaranteed a roommate that she did know even if she made that request.

“I live by myself, and I prefer that to having a roommate,” she said.

Junior theater major Manny Casillas doesn’t share the same sentiments about living off campus. Casillas lived on campus as a freshman, and three years later he still lives in the residence halls.

“I would never get anything done if I wasn’t living here,” he said. “It would be difficult for me to do the stuff I had to do and the stuff I want to do. It’s just easier to have a place to come back to.”

While Savage and Casillas are firm in their residency choices, Vitangeli said that the choice comes down to a student’s wants and needs.

“I wouldn’t push a person into a situation where they wouldn’t be happy,” Vitangeli said.

According to Vitangeli, even if students who live on campus have been shown to be more involved and excel in classes, that does not mean a student who commutes doesn’t fit into that category.

“I think there are certainly exceptions to every rule,” she said.