Affordability and Availability of Off Campus Housing

Story by Zachary Downes and Shawn Wilson

 

Kent, OH – On campus housing expenses could be seen as a cause to move off campus, but the availability of off-campus housing is a different question.

Campuses around the country charge students for room and board. At Kent State specifically, they charge $3,323 dollars for a standard dorm room per student per semester. In addition, the basic meal plan is $1,935 per semester.

For students at other schools, the prices for on campus housing is a bit different. Indiana State University charges $4,373 per semester for a standard two person dorm room.

Indiana State University student Vanessa Shelton said living on campus is a bit pricey but something that she enjoys.

“The prices were honestly a little pricey to me,” Shelton said. “But there are scholarships available that can help you pay for housing. Even though I do believe the cost is a little high, I get the experience of living on campus, and with my sorority sisters.”

Shelton also said that if she didn’t live on campus, she feels that her college experience would not be the same.

Overbooked and waiting

At Kent State, the price for dorms is not as high but they fill up quickly, which forces students to move off campus.

“The dorms filled up,” Junior Accounting Major Justin Johnson said. “It was a struggle to find a place to live since the major apartment complexes had filled up.”

“At the beginning of leasing season there isn’t a waiting list because we’re trying to fill spaces but usually around November and December,” University Edge Community Advisor Eli Balogh said. “After we’ve filled for the following year there tends to be a wait list.”

Balogh also said that a lot of people do something called re-letting. This is when people tell the renting office that they do not want to live in the complex anymore. This is usually when a student is studying abroad or something of that matter.

Balogh said that this makes space for other people to move from the waiting list and have a spot in the apartment complex.

Other apartment complexes around Kent such as; Province, Holly Park, and Campus Pointe offer similar opportunities.

Price and location is key

Senior Fashion Merchandising Major Gina D’Amico said that a big struggle with finding her current home was price and location.

“I’m somehow lucky enough that my dad helps me with rent, god bless him,” D’Amico said. “I wanted to find a house that was decent enough to live in but wasn’t really expensive so I could somewhat help my dad out.”

D’Amico also said that she does not have a car and finding a location close to campus was an absolute must. With D’Amico’s father helping her pay rent, she was able to find a house relatively close to campus.

For students looking for an apartment or house relatively close to campus, they have to start looking at the end of the fall semester to find a home for the following year.

Additional expenses are an eye opener

In research done by the National Census Bureau; 63 percent of students live off campus with relatives, 12 percent of students live in the dorms, while 25 percent of students live 0ff campus in non-family households.

When students move off campus, they’re given more responsibility. Students are required to pay bills, buy their own food and pay rent. Living on-campus, students do not pay monthly rent; they have meal plans and have minimal bills to pay for.

In the National Census Bureau’s findings, the state of Ohio ranked with 15.1 to 17.0 percent of the population living in poverty. These numbers include the students living off campus.

Sophomore Architect Major Mitch Sutyak says that moving off campus was cheaper but came along with a few more responsibilities.

“I was excited to move off campus,” Sutyak said. “However, realizing how much I now have to pay for that I was not responsible for in the dorms was an eye opener.”

Utility and food expenses is an eye opener for people who live off campus. Some students, like D’Amico, have to work 40 plus hour weeks to save money to afford the cost of living as a college student.

“I pay for almost everything myself,” D’Amico said. “I’ve been working nonstop since I was 17. I worked 40 hours a week this summer at my internship and made a lot of money. That’s where all my money comes from.”

A big problem with living off campus is not having the luxuries of a meal plan. D’Amico receives help from her parents.

“My dad helps me with food and gives me a budget that I try to never go over,” D’Amico said. “It’s a struggle because I really have to limit my spending to things that I need and not necessarily what I want.”

Getting work done

Besides having to pay for utilities and food, students also lose the academic stability of living on campus. When students live off campus, they must commute to attend class.

“I have skipped more class since living off campus,” Senior Public Health Major Taylor Holly said. “But not an over-bearing amount. I would say the weather is the biggest factor, especially since I walk to class.”

Vanessa Shelton said that living on campus helped improve her grades. She was involved with a program where she got put into a dorm with people that share the same major as her.

“I know when I lived in the dorms,” Shelton said. “Floors 8, 9, 10, and 11 were all education majors, which is my major, and that helped when I had to study or had questions about a class.”

The City of Kent is currently building more apartments that will help with the off campus housing issue. They will be located on Summit Street and South Depeyster Street.