Sue Goldberg
Cincinnati MagazineColleges & Universities, August 2007Frankly, when it comes to student housing the image most of us conjure up is something akin to living like a genie-in-a-bottle—say it with me now, “close quarters.” But that doesn’t necessarily mean students are in for a life of deprivation. From the list of room amenities, you could almost mistake the new wave of student housing for luxury hotel accommodations: Internet access, phone, cable, satellite TV, 24/7 maintenance, rec room, common rooms with kitchen facilitiesand even award-winning dining. All that’s missing is the turn-down service and a mint on the pillow.
In fact, one recent tour through university-affiliated housing—with its fresh food market and dining establishment that offers made-to-order sandwiches and omelets—tempted at least one parent to consider if she could sign up and leave the kids at home.
A projected 18 million undergraduates are planning to live on or near U.S. college campuses this coming fall, and schools will be accommodating them with an assortment of housing choices—including on- and off-campus, themed and even special-interest housing. To give students a head start on the options, campus housing directors offer some insider wisdom.
ON CAMPUSAs many of us can attest, maturity isn’t something that just manifests when the 18th birthday rolls around. A gradual slide into independent living through on-campus housing is sometimes just the ticket. Experts agree that first-year on-campus living offers a great compromise on the lifestyle spectrum—somewhere between the imposed structure of high school years and the allure of total “freedom” with its accompanying responsibilities.
“I really try to advocate with parents that campus housing oftentimes serves as a great transition for students who aren’t quite ready to be adults yet. They think they are, but your student probably isn’t ready to leave high school and go right out and put their name on a lease with two friends, split the bills and drive into campus for class every day—that’s a lot of responsibility,” explains Matt Brown, director of University Housing at Northern Kentucky University.
Many campuses, such as the College of Mount St. Joseph, have dedicated certain residence wings or floors just for first-year students. Mount St. Joe’s first-year wing is focused on developing a holistic student, notes Jacquelyn Thurman, coordinator of Residence Life. “It’s about building community and getting them involved,” Thurman says. “On that particular wing, specific programs are planned to assist them with this transition and academic success.”
Special Interest
On-campus options may also include themed or special-interest housing, where students within particular majors or fields of study may share the same wing or house. Students with shared interests—in athletics, social justice or ecology, for example—might also form a housing community. The thinking is that students can find study time and share resources, even mentor each other within their chosen disciplines; in effect, it adds up to a more successful college experience.
And institutions are going all out with special programs, working to draw students into the campus community. Thurman is planning an Olympic-style academic and athletic competition for residential and commuter students during Homecoming week at the College of Mount St. Joseph. The event will include opening and closing ceremonies, with an emphasis on building community and injecting excitement into campus life.
Forging Friendships
Other types of programs that help freshman adjust to their new “home away from home” include ice-breakers and team-building projects, according to Lori Lambert, director of Residence Life at Xavier University. “At the beginning of the year we focus on social types of programs so they get to know each other,” Lambert says. “We also talk about adjustment to college, using drugs and alcohol, being academically focused, and then we [make good use of the city’s cultural resources]. We do team builders. Just a lot of offerings that folks who are off campus don’t necessarily get.”
Resident assistants at Xavier are asked to create a one-time, big, memorable team-building event. “They’ve done things like white water rafting,” Lambert recalls. “People from other wings have done a day at the spa. They go to dinner and a movie together, or they make dinner and then go to a movie—something where they’re all working together.”
Convenience
Convenience is another factor that tops the list of pros when it comes to on-campus living—including financial convenience. “On-campus housing is one price,” emphasizes Todd Duncan, director of housing and food services for the University of Cincinnati. “You pay your fee once a quarter. That includes all your utilities, the Internet connection, cable television, gas, water, electric. There is no additional cost. You pay that price and you’re done.”
Fees can be billed to the student’s university bursar account, so student financial aid can be applied toward the cost. “That’s one of the great advantages of living on campus—the convenience of one single bill,” Brown adds. “I wish my life were that simple sometimes.”
Meals on campus mean award-winning dining at some schools, including UC, where the residential dining program has won national awards, according to Duncan. “Food on our campus is not the mystery meat that perhaps people of my generation might remember,” Duncan says. Commuters can even get in on this action by purchasing meal plans as well.
Need more? Students say that being able to roll out of bed and walk to class in a matter of minutes beats rush-hour traffic, parking hassles, gas expense and car maintenance hands down.
As an added bonus, on-campus living translates into academic benefits such as higher rates of retention, increased college involvement and, according to Brown and Duncan, even higher GPAs. Proximity to class, tutoring services, the library and other resources all factor in. “I get the stats every year from Student Affairs,” Brown says. “Consistently, students who live on campus during their freshman year have better retention rates in subsequent years and better GPAs. It’s true on every campus I’ve worked at, actually.”
Even with all these perks, life on campus isn’t necessarily a bed of roses. The downside of all this togetherness means that sometimes friends and roommates get in the way of the books. “I think there are probably more distractions on campus than for students who are commuting from home,” Lambert suggests. “Like if you want to study from 8-10 pm but somebody else wants you to play PlayStation, or go to an event on campus, or hang out and talk. I think there’s also peer pressure on students who maybe wouldn’t necessarily go out and drink, but instead might do so in order to be social. I think there’s probably more peer pressure on Friday or Saturday night if you live on campus than if you took class and left the campus at 2 pm.”
OFF CAMPUS LIVING
While some may push the financial envelope to live within campus grounds, many find huge advantages to living off campus, too. “I think if you ask our students why they want to live off campus, the No. 1 reason they’ll give is ‘freedom,’” Brown says. “They don’t want an RA checking up on them. If they do decide to have a party and they want it off campus, they can do that. There are some restrictions on campus regarding student behavior, but when you’re off campus you have a little more freedom.”
Are You Ready?
Brown also hosts an apartment fair at NKU each year to encourage students to think about questions such as “What’s the next step from here?” and “Am I ready to move off campus?” “We have good relationships with select apartment complexes here and with the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Apartment Association,” Brown says. “When students are ready to make that move, they need to be informed about how to make smart decisions: What does it mean when you sign a lease, and what are your responsibilities? We put out educational information and connect students with area properties that we believe are student-friendly.”
At UC, Duncan finds that as some students mature and progress through their academic careers, there’s a natural desire to seek highly compatible roommates and a lifestyle experience that supports a common interest. He notes that students may be looking for more space and privacy from off-campus housing, or—on the flipside—looking for ways to lower living costs with higher occupancy.
Bridging the Gap
Filling a niche between traditional off-campus and on-campus housing is the growing trend of university-affiliated properties. UC, for example, does not manage its own off-campus housing, but the university has a partnership with nearby properties. University Park Apartments and Stratford Heights offer locations practically on the UC campus with apartment-style units featuring full-sized kitchen appliances or themed houses with suites and common rooms.
Near-campus housing has academic benefits as well, according to Brown. Research that looks at proximity to campus has shown that walking commuters are more engaged in their education and do better. The properties offer short-term leases from three months to one year. Parking can be leased as well, sometimes at rates below campus garages. While financial aid cannot be directly applied to off-campus rent, any residual money not used to pay the university’s costs may be used toward housing fees.
Security
Experts also stress the importance of evaluating the overall safety and security of any type of student housing. “A lot of people are concerned about security,” Brown adds. “We’re investing some money to really upgrade our system and add more cameras, and periodically we add more lights. We do a walkthrough every year with students from the Student Government Association. They point out any areas on the campus that they think are security risks or that might pose a safety hazard. We work through these and try to correct those things.”
Whether it’s convenience and a strong sense of community, or it’s a need for more privacy coupled with increased independence, the final decision will be based on a variety of factors. “It’s really going to be down to the individual student, their resources and their lifestyle preferences, as to whether or not the off-campus housing is more attractive than the on,” Duncan says. “I think as families are making that decision, as much as the parents can, they should keep an open mind and let the student decide,” Lambert adds. “I think if they really listen to their student, they’ll know what’s best for him or her.”
