James McClendon

Staff Writer

This fall, 47 percent of Utica College students are living on campus, according to the Office of Institutional research.

The 53 percent that remain are broken into two categories: commuters that live at home with their parents and students who moved off campus and live in the Utica community. 29.5 percent of UC students are commuters and 23.5 percent are living off campus.

Except in special circumstances, freshman and sophomores are required to live in one of the residence halls on campus.

There are many benefits to having these newly independent co-eds stay on campus. Freshman Tyler Hall lives in South Hall.

“It just makes things a lot easier,” Hall said. “It’s convenient for classes, and you get to eat at the Café,” Hall said.

While Hall appreciates the convenience of living on campus, he still is eager to move off campus as a junior.

It is a common belief that living off campus is cheaper than paying the room and board fees in the dorms.

For students who reside in a double room and participate in the Gold meal plan, the cost is $12,134. This works out to about $1,516.75 a month over the eight-month period of the school year.

While this cost most likely exceeds the amount of off-campus living, the tradeoff is that one gets to pay one fee for everything he will need to survive a year in college, which includes an unlimited supply of meals in the Café.

Senior Robert Tutein decided to move off campus this fall for two reasons. He believed it would be much cheaper and he wanted the freedom of living on his own.

“It makes you more independent,” Tutein said. “It makes you grow up.”

Many students moved off campus to get away from the rules and regulations of the dormitories. While it is Campus Safety’s job to keep students safe, some students felt the policies that were enforced on campus were a little stringent.

Graduate student Lindsey Gelles currently lives off campus. She recalled how inconvenienced she felt when dealing with Campus Safety and how much of a difference there was when living off campus.

“You don’t have to worry about campus safety coming around bothering you, and you don’t have to worry about letting people in and out of your building,” Gelles said.

Living on campus can be hard for students who generally share a small living area with either a stranger or if they are lucky, a friend of their choice.

Living off campus gives students a more customizable home setting and lifestyle. They can choose the size of their living space, the décor, and who they are living with.

An important aspect of off-campus living is how students are able to adapt their study habits to their new surroundings. Most students who move off campus still utilize the on-campus facilities such as the library, the computer labs, and the lounge in the Strebel Student Center.

As more time goes on there will be an increased interest in living off campus. College students look to become more independent earlier on and want the freedom to make their own decisions about where they live and who they live with.