Underclassmen Housing--First Draft

What defines a good living situation? Is it simply having a clean and safe environment? A place where one can feel at home and comfortable? The answer can vary for many people, but for an underclassman at a large university, the answer might be more specific. For most upcoming college freshmen, the transition from home to a huge campus of new people, lifestyles and experiences can be overwhelming. A big portion of this transition is becoming a part of the school and a part of the community. Another aspect is managing time between work and play. Being safe and feeling comfortable is necessary. All these are characteristics and experiences can happen through on-campus housing. A dorm allows a new student to meet others, learn to manage time independently, and feel safe. Temple University, in the past few years, has taken this once assumed and standard privilege away from new students. The school’s recent unstable guarantee of housing for underclassmen not only causes issues of inconvenience for students and their families, but also may take a toll on the student’s progress in college.
The increase in housing issues at Temple University was not unexpected. A gradual shortage of housing, due to over admittance, has been present for a few years now. Housing was once guaranteed to all Temple Students. In 2001, an article was written by the Temple News about the highest amount of freshmen admitted in Temple’s history. The article called, “Temple Halts Admission Increase”, written August 21, 2001, explained that the new freshmen class would have 3,100 students. The article relays that admissions planned on admitting fewer people, so that housing would not be crowded and the same academic experiences would be provided. Since this promise of fewer acceptances at Temple, freshmen classes are now well over 4,000 students. In 2007, according to the communications section of Temple University’s website, a class of 4,300 had arrived.
Temple’s guarantee of housing to all students dropped in 2004, when it began to only offer student housing to freshmen and sophomores. Many students were outraged because they were notified of the situation with only a few months to find a new place to live. Since then, the problem has only gotten worse. Last year most sophomores and even some freshmen were denied housing, or given a living assignment and then had it taken away from them. Such a complicated and messy situation caused great confusing and annoyance to the underclassmen along with their families. Beginning college years with this issue is not a positive way to begin the transition.
Dormitory life is generally an expected stage of college living, and to be denied housing could be denying that important first stage. Having suitable housing during underclassmen years is critical for a new student’s success. Students are coming into new surroundings where they are out of their comfort zone, and in order for a freshman to progress and grow, they must be welcomed. In an article through Environment and Behavior Journal of Sage Publications, by Ann Devlin, the pros and cons of each different type of living situation is surveyed to over a thousand students. Students said that having a community-like atmosphere with a clean environment is ideal. Certain dormitory style rooms, such as suites, are more appealing to the eye yet prove to be less personable and welcoming to dorm room neighbors. Students, overall show that they are looking to feel welcomed in dorms; that they can be socialized with others around them. This shows that being guaranteed a residential hall for the first crucial time period in a college student’s life is necessary so that they can feel a sense of community and learn to grow as well.
Particularly because of Temple University’s location, beyond a sense of community is the need for safety. Being located in North Philadelphia, where statistics show a higher crime rate that most other regions of the city, Temple constantly encourages students to stay on campus. However, many students that are denied housing have no choice but to move off campus. While some can manage a five minute walk to campus, others must allow up to twenty to thirty minutes to get to classes, while others live in different areas of the city. Temple’s crime statistics are only relevant to occurrences on campus. More than half of Temple students, however, are not on campus. Many off campus students have reported burglaries and muggings, yet Temple cannot acknowledge them as school related.
In addition to safety, underclassmen would be more monitored in their behavior by living on campus. In the Temple dorms, there are supervisors from each dorm, including a resident assistant for each floor. Having a certain amount of authority can keep a student from starting off their college career on the wrong track. Being monitored in their living situations will generally keep them out of trouble. It will also encourage understanding the value of time management for school work. Along with these qualities, a student must learn to cooperate with others who they may not know at first. All these aspects are important for a student to get on the right foot during their first few crucial years. Students who begin living off campus immediately have less guidance, and by having no limits of authority, they are more prone to getting in trouble or having a harder time transitioning from high school level work to college level work.
An assumed part of going away from home to college is to start off living on the campus itself. Most students want and should certainly be allowed this. Temple should become more efficient in both aspects of housing as well as undergraduate admissions so that incoming students receive the college experience that they anticipate.