It is that time of year again when students at NC State begin making living arrangements for the upcoming year. Some students will choose to remain on campus, while some may choose off-campus options nearby because of changes to housing arrangements.
Those who wish to continue to live on campus for the 2018-19 school year may find it a bit more challenging to find a space this year. This academic year is the first time first-years have been required to live on campus, and NC State plans to continue with this rule for the foreseeable future.
Katrina Pawvluk, the associate director of housing operations, assignments and conference services, said that University Housing is still working on determining the best way to determine who receives housing.
“Studies have shown that freshmen living on campus do better academically and socially by living on campus their first year and are more likely to stay in school,” Pawvluk said. “As far as preference of who would benefit most of current students living on campus, we give preference to those under 61 credit hours. A sophomore will benefit more from living on campus than a senior who will soon be transitioning to life after college.”
Most of the reserved spots are in the residence halls on main campus. There are some first-year spots that have been reserved in Wolf Village as well but no spaces for first-years in Wolf Ridge. There have been some frustrations expressed by upperclassmen who feel as though the apartment spaces should be a privilege reserved for current students.
“While I am fortunate enough to have gotten housing at all, I just don’t see how it’s fair that as a junior, I will have to live in the dorms again while incoming freshmen get to live in Wolf Village,” said Joyce Pagan, a second-year majoring in international studies.
Lucia Thomas, a second-year studying anthropology, expressed similar opinions about the fairness and inclusion of the new housing setup.
“The housing situation feels very unfair,” Thomas said. “As someone graduating within a year, I don’t think I should be forced off campus to find housing. I think I’ve earned the privilege as a full-time student to have a decent on-campus apartment.”
Due to more spots on campus being reserved for the incoming first-year class, there is not enough space to house much of the student population on campus. University Housing has not determined whether it is going to stick with a credit-hour system or a first-come, first-serve policy to determine where or how students can apply for housing.
Even those students who wish to stay in dorms again and not apartments have been frustrated with not being able to have their top pick for dorms.
“It can be frustrating as an upperclassman trying to live on campus when all of the underclassmen are able to select before you because your options are so limited,” said Kimberlea Harrell, a second-year studying plant and soil sciences. “Though the live-on requirement was not in place my freshman year, I think it’s a good idea as it can help them adapt to the college lifestyle and get familiar with the campus. I lived on campus my freshman year, and it really helped me get acclimated to the campus as a whole.”
While many students understand why there is a live-on requirement for first-years, they are frustrated with the current system that determines who is allowed stay on campus after their first year.
