Advertisement
But then she got the bad news: On-campus housing was full. Schallock would have to find her own place to live in a city 3,600 miles from home.
Schallock is one of more than 500 students who will be turned away for housing this year at Wisconsin’s flagship university, the only one in the Big Ten that does not guarantee on-campus housing for freshmen.
The university outlined plans to build new dormitories to address its housing shortage, but Republican lawmakers oppose them, saying they won’t be part of a national trend toward what they call luxurious university housing.
UW-Madison officials say their room shortage hurts recruitment of top students, who have their pick of colleges, many of which promise housing. Hundreds of other students must live off-campus where their grades often suffer.
Schallock, who wants to become an orchestra conductor, said she got lucky: She snagged one of the few vacant rooms at a private dormitory but said she’ll pay much more in rent than she would for a dorm.
“My story is kind of unusual but I talked to a lot of people at orientation in July that said the same thing: They don’t have enough housing for freshman,” she said. “That was surprising.”
About half of U.S. universities require freshmen to live on-campus. The others try to accommodate all who apply, said Norb Dunkel, president-elect of the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International. A housing shortage can cost universities gifted students who wait until the last minute to decide, he said.
“They are shopping for the best package at the best institution,” he said. “If they want housing in their package and they can’t get it, they will certainly choose to go to campus B, which has the same amount of scholarships and is as academically rigorous if they can get housing.”
As part of a plan to eliminate its shortage, UW-Madison wants to build three dormitories with more than 500 beds near Lake Mendota. The dorms would feature double occupancy rooms with walk-in closets, with four rooms sharing a bathroom.
The project’s fate will be determined in coming weeks by a committee of state lawmakers negotiating a final state budget.
Democrats in the Senate approved the dorms but the Republican-controlled Assembly deleted the plan in their budget along with proposals to build dorms on five other campuses. They said the state should not borrow money for the projects, which they described as excessive.
“We’re seeing this trend of colleges and universities continuing to build more and more elaborate housing,” said Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale. “At some point, you have to draw the line.”
Paul Evans, director of university housing, dismissed the criticism. He describes the dorms as modern residence halls where fewer people share bathrooms, rooms are a little larger and more academic space is available.
Dunkel, University of Florida’s housing director, called Wisconsin’s plans “in the mainstream.” He said other universities are going too far by building apartment-style rooms complete with kitchens, bay windows and even swimming pools.
Student fees would pay back the $67 million borrowed for the project over the next 30 years. Much of the money would be new revenue from housing more students, who would pay about $750 more per year to live there than other dorms when they open in 2010 and 2011.
Students pay the higher rates at a building that opened last year, the school’s first new dorm in 40 years, and at a second dorm, Ogg Hall, which opens later this month. The two buildings replace an aging hall that was torn down and add about 200 beds. The lakeshore dorms would address the remaining housing shortage.
Landlord Steve Brown, whose apartments house hundreds of students, claims the university is manufacturing demand to go on a building spree. He said the university’s 6,887 dorm beds were enough to accommodate the freshmen class of 5,600.
“The university has limited resources and there’s no need for that housing,” he said. “The issue is also whether they should be competing with the private sector.”
Evans responds that transfer students and sophomores who want to live on campus should also have that choice. UW-Madison is competing against other universities, not the private sector, he said.
The shortage affects out-of-state and international students most because state law requires Wisconsin residents admitted before March 15 to be guaranteed housing. Even so, hundreds of Wisconsin students were put on a waiting list for housing or turned away.
Evans said the shortage means the university tones down its advertising of on-campus living for fear of turning off students who won’t get in. Students who have been accepted in neighboring states such as Illinois and Minnesota where housing is guaranteed sometimes won’t look at UW-Madison, he said.
And then there are those who come anyway. A university study concluded last year that students who live off-campus their freshmen year have lower grade point averages and are less likely to return their second year. That means they are less likely to graduate or get into competitive majors such as engineering and business, Evans said.
The difference can partly be explained by the academic and social support networks available in the dorms, ranging from study groups to tutors, university officials say.
“We think students who would like to take advantage of the opportunity to live on campus and our programs should have that choice. And right now they don’t,” Evans said. “We don’t like telling students ’no.’ These are all great kids.”
