The Spectator The independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University
VSU housing has always been a complicated issue among students, but with limited housing on campus and the new off-campus living options like the Grove Apartment complex, more students are making the decision to move off campus.
Regardless of gas prices, the constant hassle of parking and arriving to class on time, living off campus has become a better preference for many students.
“I prefer living off campus because the cost is cheaper as well as having better housing,” Talisha Burns, senior nursing major said. “One of the best things is having a bigger bed, which is way better than the twin XL in my opinion.”
For some students living on campus is simply not an option. Every spring, some students are placed on VSU’s waiting list, the Upperclassmen Room Availability Database (URAD). Most students placed on the waiting list end up moving off campus.
“I was placed on the waiting list last year,” Britney Butler, junior Biology major said. “I was contacted in April letting me know I had a room on campus.”
Housing on campus is limited. According to Theressa H. Boyd, assistant to the president for communications, there are about 2,907 students living on campus this semester. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled this semester is about 9,000.
However, for incoming freshmen, living on campus is a requirement, giving freshmen priority over the upperclassmen. Even though there are freshmen dorms on campus, every once in a while there may be a need to place freshmen in upperclassmen dorms.
“I am a junior, and since freshmen have priority when it comes to room selection, I could be denied a room just so they could have one,” Denisha Dukes, early childhood education major said.
By the year 2016, VSU hopes to house at least 25 percent of undergraduate students.
“As we prepare for the future and growth in the student population, adding new residence halls will be a part of that discussion,” Richard Mast, Dean of Student Affairs, said. “Currently we do not have a new facility scheduled to begin construction yet.”
Hi Alvieann,
Really enjoyed the article. We got a lot of feedback akin to your article from our student ambassadors. We also understand that every campus is different, so it’s obviously going to vary in what students prefer. I think being denied a room on-campus is something that just shouldn’t happen. If that’s the case, the university should provide off-campus housing resources for students (like us!). Living on-campus has its perks, but so does living off-campus. Hopefully the university schedules construction for new buildings soon!
Jake Bernstein
http://www.movingoffcampus.com/