As Elizabethtown College students moved into their new homes for the semester, some took issue with their living situations. In addition, upperclassmen were encouraged to pursue off-campus housing and many were left in transitional rooms.
“It is the upperclassmen retention numbers, not the size of the freshman class, causing the excess of students,” Allison Bridgeman, director of residence life, said. The number of students who transferred or withdrew was much lower than expected. The school predicted fewer sophomores, juniors and seniors to return, based on data from previous years. In general, Elizabethtown’s student return rate is much higher than other colleges. “It is great [that] students love Etown, but we need to find a way to accommodate all students,” Bridgeman said.
A significant part of the problem is that the first tuition bill is due by Aug. 1 of each year. It’s not until then that the school determines how many students are returning. Residence Life is now considering requiring a housing deposit due in March to determine how many students are serious about returning to the College the next year. Many other schools use a housing deposit system, usually charging around $100. Students would have to pay a portion of the housing bill ahead of time to indicate their intention of returning for the next year. This would not be an additional charge, but rather just an early payment.
Because of the large number of students returning this year, many upperclassmen were released from their housing contracts in August. Additional off-campus apartments were secured by Residence Life. While many students were excited to pursue this opportunity, they found it difficult to find housing so late in the summer. Some were even upset that they were not released earlier in the school year.
However, the application to live off-campus is much different during the academic year. Bridgeman explained it is the Enrollment Management Committee who decides how many students can be released for the following year. The Enrollment Management Committee is responsible for tracking historical data to create projections and target numbers for upcoming years. Residence Life works in conjunction with the committee to release the allocated number of students.
It is not until Residence Life determines how many students are returning that they see the lack of room on campus for returning residents. Last year, the Enrollment Management Committee allowed a generous number of students off-campus in preparation for the first-year class. However, there ended up being more space available in on-campus housing than desired. In response, a smaller number of students were released from their housing contracts for this school year.
Bridgeman understands the difficulty of trying to find off-campus housing so late in the summer. It is something they will be working to avoid next year by getting a better understanding of the number of returning students earlier in the year.
Not only does Residence Life want to prevent releasing students from on-campus housing late in the summer, the office also wants to limit the number of first-years moving into transitional housing on First-Year Move-In Day. Upperclassmen retention caused first-years to be assigned to RA offices or Ober first-year rooms shared with five other students. Although those students are able to move around once students transfer or withdraw throughout the semester, the letter they receive stating their housing still lists five other roommates they have instead of two. It is stressful for the student and Residence Life, as moving these students out of transitional housing is their focus the first few weeks of school. “We want students to be able to breathe,” Bridgeman said.
Another aspect of the issue is the large senior class. Next year, when the size of the senior class drops significantly from 500 to 350, there will be a noticeable difference.
With the combined goal of creating a smoother transition for students moving off-campus and incoming first-years, Residence Life will be discussing the possibility of requiring a housing deposit within the next few weeks. Without knowing the number of returning students, Residence Life is unable to estimate the number of students who will need on campus housing for the future years.