Residents pack on-campus housing
Newly-built East Hall houses152 upperclass students in single rooms. Residents share a bathroom with one other student and have their own sinks, as well as moveable furniture.
By Kim Puckett | News Editor
East Hall’s construction has not only given upperclass students a single-room living option, but has caused an influx of students to choose on-campus housing.
This year, about 200 more students signed up to live on campus than in 2008-09, when every residence hall on campus extended capacity with students living in basements and lounges. East Hall will house 152 students, but Residence Life still has to place the remaining residents.
“My thoughts are students see activity on campus, like construction and renovation, and want to be part of the action,” said Greg Smith, senior student affairs associate for information. “This tends to have an effect on housing. When Schwitzer and Central were built, we also saw a large jump and went over capacity.”
To compensate for the additional on-campus students, the floor lounges in Cory Bretz will be used as rooms, and 30 students will be living in the basement of Warren Hall. Resident Assistants will take on roommates and be compensated about $800 a semester.
“You’d think building a new residence hall, we would be under capacity,” said Dean of Students Kory Vitangeli. “What we thought was going to be our extra capacity ended up housing our students that wanted to return to campus. And so we were left once again with an overflow situation.”
The new dorm was popular during residence sign-ups last spring, filling up in just three hours. But a discrepancy in reported costs, including one from a May Reflector article, caused an outcry from students via Facebook.
The Reflector reported the extra cost as $400, but Vitangeli said the actual cost of $743 per semester had been posted since February.
“We never stated ever that it was only $400 a semester,” she said. “The intention has always been that the adjustment to East Hall would be the cost of a single room, which is $800.”
Sophomore Lauren Bauer said the extra cost was a sacrifice, but said it is worth the price to have her own room.
“I thought it was going to be a couple hundred extra, but we lessened my meal plan, so that money went toward the dorm,” she said.
Residence Director Anna Glowinski said East Hall not only provides privacy, but a sense of community with only upperclass students living in the new dorm.
“Some of the advantages are [that] you are with people your own age, so you are going through similar experiences,” she said. “Upperclassmen may be looking for jobs or looking for internships, and they are in a different place in their life.”
