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Routine campus housing shortage for 2008-09 |
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Wednesday, 05 March 2008 |
by JILLIAN SWORDS
News Reporter
On-campus housing will once again be limited for all students except incoming freshmen for the 2008-2009 academic year.
However, Assistant Director for Housing and Residence Life Stacy R. Sears encouraged sophomores
to reapply regardless.
“Living on campus is developmentally better—you’re more plugged in, there are learning programs
available in the dorms…many opportunities for learning outside the classroom,” Sears said.
The Department of Housing and Residence Life is now processing applications for the upcoming year.
The deadline for lottery forms, to be turned in to the John E. Thomas building, is Feb. 13.
Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Greg M. Lovins acknowledged the increasing size of the freshman
class in recent years.
“Demand to attend our university has never been higher,” Lovins said. “This year we had a little over
13,000 applications for 2,775 freshman.”
This number is up from a freshman class of about 2,500 in 2000.
Sears said for the last two years Housing and Residence Life has been able to meet the needs all
freshman and sophomores who wanted to live on campus. Borrowing unseen complications, she said
that need should be met in the coming year as well but is not a guarantee.
A total of 19 residence halls currently provides 5,008 spaces for Appalachian State students, Sears
said.
Towards the beginning of the 2007-08 fall semester there were several students living in makeshift
setups in the lobbies of residence halls, but Sears said this was resolved after a number of no-shows
provided extra rooms in the dorms.
Chancellor’s Scholars are the only group on campus guaranteed on-campus housing for all four years.
In part of campus’s 10-year plan to keep one residence hall offline per year, Cannon Hall is currently
being renovated. Frank will be offline next year, Sears said.
Interim Director of Housing Tommy F. Wright is part of a feasibility study currently being conducted
regarding the new residence hall that will replace Coffey Hall in 2009.
“There will be a physical connection from the new residence hall to Cone Hall,” Wright said. “It will
horseshoe down Brown St. and [that area will] contain academic space and faculty offices.”
In the case of Coffey Hall’s replacement, Wright said the university will actually be gaining around 200
housing spaces once Coffey Hall is torn down.
“The new dorm will have 300 spaces and with Coffey you’re only dealing with 100 spaces to start
with…so it’ll be a net gain with it’s all said and done,” Wright said.
Students who are unable to attain on-campus housing have numerous other options with apartments,
including Appalachian-owned University Highlands.
Senior psychology major Johnathan M. Love lived on campus his freshman year but moved to an
off-campus apartment after that. He said that each experience has had its pros and cons. Residence
halls are convenient and cheaper, while apartments offer more space, free parking, and peace of mind.
“With the lottery system, there’s no guarantee you’ll end up in the dorm of your choice,” Love said.
More information is available at housing.appstate.edu.
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