Frustrated faces attentively listened in disappointment as Residence Life Director George Stroud explained the housing procedures for next year. Due to the increasingly large amount of freshman residents, it seems upperclassmen may be at a disadvantage when it comes to living on campus next fall.
“I’m extremely displeased. They shouldn’t be accepting so many freshman,” sophomore Victoria Bauer, a bio/pre-med major, said. Stroud explained that housing freshmen is a priority, and it can be expected that first year students will fill all of Xavier and Woodcrest Halls as well as the top floor of the New Residence Hall. This may cause sophomore housing to spread as far as House 4, not leaving much room for the remaining juniors and seniors.
“We are in a situation where we are running out of room,” Stroud said. Because of this, Cabrini has looked into additional housing off campus in local places such as the Kingswood apartment complex in King of Prussia and Harcum College in nearby Bryn Mawr. This option is directed mainly towards next semester’s senior class since they “should be more capable to live off campus,” Stroud said.
Students choosing to live off campus will be responsible for their own housing finances and the school will not provide supplementary funds for transportation.
The housing lottery, which begins on Tuesday, Feb. 10, is only open to returning residents and, therefore, potentially excludes the commuter population from moving on campus. Stroud said there is no tentative plan for current commuters who would like to room with existing residents but they can expect to be put on a waiting list.
Sophomore education major Christina D’Annunzio was disappointed with this aspect of the housing procedure. “It’s potentially unfair for commuters because I want to live with my friends and I might have to wait to be placed,” D’Annunzio said.
Students on campus have a negative outlook on the housing turnout for next year. Freshman Lisa Liberati doesn’t think it’s fair that upperclassman aren’t guaranteed their ideal housing preference. “We pay so much to live here, there should be enough housing for everyone,” Liberati said.
The general concern among underclassmen is the housing availability for the future. “I don’t want to be in that position when I’m going to be a senior,” Jen White, a freshman elementary education major, said.
Although living off campus may be considered an inconvience to some students, many residents turned commuters disagree. Justin Sicile, a senior graphic design major, thinks that living off campus has its advantages. “It’s a beneficial experience because you get to see the world outside of Cabrini,” Sicile said. However, Sicile admits that it might not be so financially efficient.
Posted to the web by Shawn Rice
