Angelina WagnerWith an influx of students and a limited amount of room availability, many students will be forced to live off campus for the 2004-2005 academic year. In addition, many underclassmen will be making the choice to live off campus, starting in the fall semester because they are afraid to be in the same situation next year.
Of all the seniors who will be attending Cabrini College next year, only 46 students will be residing on campus for the final year of their education. More than half of the graduating class will be forced to live in off campus apartements.
“I think it’s bull and I feel that the process should have been handled differently,” Boris Smojver, junior communications major, said. “I understand the consequences of my personal situation, but I feel that we as residents for three years, were relegated in a totally unfair way. A lot of students are upset and I wish the selection would have been exactly how it was last year. Too many things didn’t make sense this year.”
“I think it’s a real problem,” Chris McCracken, junior accounting major, said. “If they had an idea that they were running out of room, then the school shouldn’t have accepted so many people. They admitted too many freshmen last year and I think that they could have maybe built another dorm instead of a science building.”
With the downsizing of upperclassmen, students living on campus and the increasing number of accepted incoming freshmen, many students that were forced to live off campus now face the task of actually finding a place to live for the next year.
“I’m currently looking now, but I was really counting on spending my last year here,” Smojver said. “It really is a big hassle.
“When we came on campus as freshmen, the school told us that they wouldn’t be able to guarantee housing for four years and it’s good to see that they are doing the best that they can for the situation,” Craig Vagell, junior communications major and resident assistant, said. “However, it really is a shame that a lot of students weren’t able to finish out on campus. Hopefully, in the end everything will work itself out.”
Transfer students who will be coming into Cabrini also face uncertainity when it comes to housing. Brent Benner, a sophomore exercise science major at West Chester University, who will be transferring to Cabrini next year, said, “I’ve been accepted to cabrini and received my credit evaluation but have yet to get a word on anything to do with housing. I’ve heard a few times about the problems at cabrini for housing next year and since the lottery has already taken place, I guess it’s safe to assume that I am expected to live off of the campus next year.” Benner said that he is prepared to do what he needs to do, but he wishes he had heard sooner about where could have been placed next year or if he had a chance of living on campus at all.
In addition to those who were stuck with a housing problem, students who see themselves as campus contributors are also in a bind of where to live next year.
“I understand what residence life had to do and the policy they had to follow,” Stefanie Ciarrochi, special education/elementary education major, said. “But I think it’s unfortunate for the students that are significantly involved in school that might have to drive 20 or 30 minutes to class, meetings, or other on-campus events.”
Ciarrochi is currently on the waiting list for Harcum College housing, which also will give her the opportunity to possibly get back onto Cabrini College housing for the fall semester.
“Residence Life was definitely dealt a bad hand and I think they did the best they could. I just feel that they could’ve possibly done a little better if it was more thought out and if they had alerted us of this problem before January. This would have given students the opportunity to better finance their living conditions next year. It’s just a shame that approximately 10 percent of seniors will be residing on campus next year and that the senior class has been in a way, torn apart,” Ciarocchi said.
Posted to the web by Angelina Wagner
