After living in Kacek for my first two years, Carman for my third and fourth year, and Rowe for the summer between fourth and fifth, I finally moved off campus to near by Bridgeport. This isn’t a rare move and to be very honest, if it weren’t for the constant facility issues or lack of kitchen space (or even lack thereof) in most of the apartments, living on campus could be very competitive. Even though my room off campus is smaller, I still find the space I have quite better and larger than that of living on campus. It’s not even about bigger space, but rather just the amount of amenities we have when living off campus.
When it comes to the competitive nature of living off campus versus on campus, there comes the challenge of actually finding a place to live. Once you find a place that fits your budget, things become far easier compared to living on campus, simply because you have far less worries about what you can and cannot have in your own room, your own apartment, and what kind of furniture you have. You don’t have to have the fear of owning a slow cooker, or a rice cooker, or a space heater. It’s incredibly difficult to live without small things like that sometimes because those campus rooms can get very cold, and when you live in the standard dorm arrangement, good luck trying to eat without Commons or Center Court.
The space in most of these dorms is very limited and inconveniently organized. An example being the closet spaces in the main residence halls (Kacek, Cunningham, Carman, Gunsaulus) being inconveniently small and placed in with a divider that seemingly only works to limit how much you can store in your closet. The cherry on top for the apartments in particular is the mis-allocation of kitchen space. Most of the Carman or Cunningham apartments only get a few inches actual usable counter space and not enough space in the cupboards or drawers to store what’s needed in a kitchen. I found myself leaving some cooking utensils and ingredients out on the table used for eating (though could only really fit 2 people) more often than not. Of course, you could always buy a rack or other items that would allow you to properly store these items, but then that means sacrificing the space that is already limited in use.
I think the most amazing part about living off campus is the amenities available to you. In-unit washer/dryers are the norm now, alongside fridges that make ice and provide water, windows that can actually open for airflow, blinds that actually block light, and the cherry on top being a landlord who will make sure your maintenance needs are met within 2 days as required by many housing contracts. The Office of Residence Life (ORL) has done all they can to make sure they can house several hundred students on campus, and they’ve done it relatively well compared to other institutions. But they lack on the fronts needed the most. I could live with shared washer/dryers if ORL made sure they worked properly, even if it was just 80% of the time. I wouldn’t mind having a broken something or another if it weren’t for the fact that it would take days or even weeks to fix it. The kitchens in the basic dorms would be amazing if they were actually kitchens with a range and other utilities. The kitchens in the apartments would be great if they had been planned appropriately, offering the space needed to sustain good kitchen practices and storage.
All in all, ORL hasn’t done a bad job making sure everyone is housed on campus who needs it. But, they have a lot to learn from places, like Lake Meadows, that makes them desirable for students to live in. Just as we have midterm and final class feedback forms, ORL should seriously consider allowing student’s to give them proper feedback on the dorms. A direct line to those actually in charge of housing and not just an RA on call or CDA, or someone working the desk at ORL. There is a reason why 311 programs work, and its because it is a direct line to those who can actually do something. For the time being, living of campus is the preferred alternative to living on campus, but it doesn’t have to be.