For the second consecutive year, the University of Northern Iowa has seen a rise in enrollment numbers. While this increase is a victory for UNI, it also is faced with a relatively significant problem regarding student housing options.
First year students are typically directed to dormitory residence halls. Out of the seven freshman dorm options, only six of the buildings are in use. The Quads, the most populous dorm buildings, consist of Hagemann Hall, Noehren Hall, Rider Hall and Shull Hall. The Towers consist of Bender and Dancer Hall, both on the less popular side, likely due to their isolation from the rest of campus. Lastly is Campbell Hall, a vacant dorm building. Rumors circulate its eventual demolition.
For post-first-year students, the options are widened to UNI’s student apartments or suite style living. Panther Village, the newest and most populous apartment style living has two buildings: Panther Village 1 and Panther Village 3. Jennings Court and Residence on the Hill (ROTH) are both apartment style living buildings, as well. Lawther Hall is suite style living, while also accommodating single living spaces.
Arguably, a flaw that UNI faces is its dorm buildings. Noehren Hall is the only first-year student dorm building that has seen reputable remodels in years. Besides Noehren, the other dorm buildings have seen little to no remodels. All dorm buildings are without air conditioning making the first month of college quite toasty for residents.
“No sink is horrible. Dresser drawers aren’t on wheels, which makes it hard to open and shut. No AC is horrible in the first month of school. Everyone is hot, irritable, and stressed,” said Lexus Naber, a first-year student living in Rider Hall.
Because of the ‘old building appeal’ and lack of air conditioning, both current and prospective students are turned away from the dorms. Additionally, Jennings and ROTH are two very dated buildings. In years past, the two apartment complexes were designated as housing for married couples attending UNI.
“A portion of the Jennings apartments have been updated, with the remainder being renovated over the next two summers. University Housing and Dining is continually looking at ways to heighten the on-campus experience. This includes both programming and amenities. Updating buildings takes money, and time. We do what we can in the most fiscally responsible manner in order to keep housing and dining costs for students down,” said Annie Karr, the associate director of marketing for University Housing and Dining (UHD).
Arguably, one of the main things that keeps students on campus beyond their freshman year, is the Live 2 Succeed Contract. In accordance with UNI’s Housing and Dining Website, Live 2 Succeed is a contract that first-year or transfer students can sign upon their admission to UNI. The contract is an agreement to live on campus for two consecutive years, in any of UNI’s residential buildings. Students who sign the contract are awarded with a $1,000 scholarship and priority room selection during contract renewal times.
“Students who live on campus for at least two years are more likely to graduate in four years than those who live on campus for only one year; and they tend to earn better grades. We encourage students to stay on the path of success and automatically benefit from the Live 2 Succeed program, both financially and in the classroom,” as stated by the universities Housing and Dining website.
However, students have mixed feelings about the Live 2 Succeed contract. While the scholarship and prioritized spot contract renewal is attractive, the trouble that is required to go through with finding adequate housing is not worth the struggle.
“I signed Live 2 Succeed because I knew there are a lot of positives that come from living on campus and I wanted to do that in the most money conscious way. I did struggle getting into a room though, when signing Live 2 Succeed we were promised priority enrollment, I guess Housing and Dining wasn’t prepared for how many people actually signed Live 2 Succeed. The time I was supposed to select my room, the website crashed,” said Sarah Tulley, a sophomore living in Lawther Hall.
In February, when contract renewal day hit for students who had signed Live 2 Succeed, the housing website crashed. UHD later released a statement that the website had reached a high volume of users that they weren’t ready for.
“I had gotten kicked out and told there were no rooms left in Lawther. After many conversations with Housing and Dining I was lucky enough to take a student’s room that was going to be leaving campus,” said Tulley.
Tulley explained that she and her previous roommate had planned to live together in Lawther. However, because the website crashed, they were forced to separate. Her previous roommate was grouped with a random roommate, rendering Tulley without a room or roommate. Tulley had to dispute with UHD just to be able to secure a room. Had she not have found a place to live on campus, she would have been forced to repay her scholarship despite the unprecedented trouble she encountered.
Will this type of predicament be the norm for students seeking to live on campus, especially considering the rise in enrollment numbers and contract signees?
“UHD has seen an increase in housing contracts over the last few years. UHD is excited for enrollment to increase and have more students living on campus. We saw a slight increase from last year to this year, and we anticipate a similar increase from this year to next year, as current numbers are already trending that way. We are pleased with the popularity of this program. We continually evaluate our programs to make sure they are functioning as expected and discuss ways to enhance or adjust as needs evolve,” said Karr.
Due to the problems that seem to arise during the on-campus housing selection process, students are starting to consider off-campus housing, regardless of their class standing. While rising enrollment numbers are an accomplishment for UNI, it may be worth considering the conditions of housing options in order to secure further consecutive enrollment, especially in contractual agreements.
