A potential revision to Ohio University's on-campus housing policy might limit the number of upperclassmen permitted to live in residence halls.
If (Ohio University) gets tight on space
we may have to set up a system where not all upperclassmen will be able to live on campus said Judy Piercy, interim director of the OU Department of Residence Life.
Current policy states that - exemptions excluded - freshmen and sophomores must live on campus, while juniors and seniors have the option to stay in residence halls or move off campus.
The need for more space comes from scheduled renovation of residence halls and an increase in enrollment. Triples that had been doubles in times of lower enrollment have been modeled back into triples to provide more housing, Piercy said.
To house students during renovations, a new residence hall that will act as a swing building during renovations and house 350 students is planned for South Green and slated to open in fall 2007, said Beverley Wyatt, director of housing in the Department of Business and Residence Services.
Last year, 776 upperclassmen chose to live on campus Winter Quarter, while 660 upperclassmen are on campus this quarter. Residence life employees and students who need housing only for one quarter make up a significant portion of this number, Wyatt said.
According to a Nov. 29, 2005, Post online article, Larry Corrigan, treasurer and interim vice president for Finance and Administration, said the goal for increasing enrollment is 1,500 students - 1,000 undergraduates and 500 graduate - in the next five years.
Depending on the number of incoming students, availability for upperclassmen housing will vary. While a target year has not yet been set, Wyatt said the policy change would not occur in the next two years.
In the future, upperclassmen wanting to live on campus will have to go through a selection process for available room slots, possibly a lottery system, Piercy said.
We're very sensitive to the fact that if we are going to go this way (and restrict residence hall admission for upperclassmen) we will need to give upperclassmen time to find rental housing
Piercy said. We will have to build enough time in
almost a whole academic year.
Amanda Groves, a junior family studies major, lives in Bromley Hall and said she chose to live on campus because they offer a better payment plan than rental housing.
If they did use a selection process
they would have to do it based on financial need; any other reason wouldn't make sense. Cost is one of the big reasons why people live in the dorms
Groves said. If they are going to focus on increasing enrollment
they need to focus on increasing housing.
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