Freshmen students sound off on temporary housing

Written by Vanessa Harmoush in College living, Lifestyle, News on Sep 7, 2011 3:59 / comments

This year’s incoming freshmen class reached over 5,600 students. Many students have not received permanent housing this year because of the large quantity of students. This is because of students who accept enrollment into the school, enroll in classes, but then do not show up when the school year begins.

There are about 135 freshmen students who were placed in temporary housing at the beginning of the school year, until permanent dorms become available for them.

Paula Bland, the Director of Residence Life in Housing and Dining Services said whenever there are more students that require housing for the school year than the actual houses allow, they are placed in temporary housing.

Housing services determines how many students did not show up to their assigned dorms or to their classes. After this process is complete, then the students in temporary housing are placed into those unclaimed spaces.

“As much as we can, with the spaces now available, we are matching those spaces up with what the students in Kittredge West have requested and are moving them into a permanent space,” Bland said.

There are 75 students placed in temporary housing that are currently staying in Kittredge West. The remaining 60 students are placed in residence halls all across campus. The students that are temporarily living in Kittredge West are in the process of being moved into their permanent dorms. The remaining students will be taken out of temporary housing once the students placed in Kittredge West are placed in their permanent locations.

Andrew Ferguson, an 18-year-old freshman film major, said that he enrolled late, which is why he was placed in temporary housing.

“I just kind of assumed that they enrolled so many kids, so this is where they put all the students that enrolled late,” Ferguson said.

This year, there were more than 100 students placed in temporary housing than Housing and Dining Services had expected. This is largely due to the school offering more acceptance letters to students than there are students that actually confirm enrollment.

“We try to balance the need to keep all the residence halls full with the numbers of students that will attend, and also accommodate a certain number of new transfer students as well as students who want to return to the residence halls after their first year,” Bland said.

Students who are placed in temporary housing are given an incentive of receiving $6 for every day that they are not in their permanent dorms.

“If you are here for the whole semester you get $500, but that is kind of all we really get,” Ferguson said. “I’ve been here 30 days so I will get something like $90.”

Masie Van Vactor, a 19-year-old freshman business major, said that her dorm room has already become her home because she has been able to personalize her space.

“I can imagine that they (freshmen in temporary housing) are really frustrated and it is a lot of stuff to have to move all the time. Now that school has started it makes it harder,” Van Vactor said. “They are probably ready to be done with it and have a permanent home.”

Ferguson said that not having his permanent place has been hard on him.

“It’s kind of weird because I’ve been here for two or three weeks and after a while you get settled in and comfy,” said Ferguson. “Then, just like that you have to move.”

Ferguson said he was recently sent an e-mail assigning him to a new permanent dorm in Willard.

“For the students in Kittredge West, those students are in the process of being matched up with spaces and they are moving as soon as they can,” Bland said.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Vanessa Harmoush at [email protected]