Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier news editor
Two weeks ago, an email was sent out by Residence Life informing students of the exceptions that would allow them to live off campus. While the qualifications are the same as in past years, this email was met with disappointment and complaints from students who were planning to pursue an off-campus living situation, as the senior process will not be available.
According to the email, there are several options that would permit a student to live off campus. If a student is a fifth year senior, married, 25 years or older, or residing with a family member within 40 miles of Berry College, then they are able to live off campus. Students for whom these exceptions are not applicable will not be approved to live off campus unless they have some sort of accommodation.
“Each year as we prepare for the room selection process, we do look at occupancy projections for the next year and if it looks like it’s going to be necessary, we do allow seniors to apply to live off campus,” Director of Residence Life Stephen Swieton said. “For the last three years, the projections have allowed this senior process to happen. My first two years we did not have this process and this year we do not have it. Half the years I’ve been here, we have not had a senior process.”
In past years, enrollment projections and retention predictions have indicated a larger freshman class, more transfers and higher retention. To accommodate students who would need to live on campus, seniors were given the opportunity to move off campus. This year, enrollment predictions indicate a smaller freshman class and fewer transfer students, negating the need for a senior process. Since there are not as many incoming students, Residence Life will be able to accomodate seniors.
“The policy has not changed in at least six years since I’ve been here,” Swieton said. “We are a four-year residence college and unless you meet one of the four general exceptions to that, you are expected to live on campus. Even if you sign a lease, you’re still responsible for paying for housing to Berry. If you have a lease already and have already been approved to live off campus, you’re fine.”
Each year, the admissions office takes into account enrollment and transfer trends in years past and ongoing patterns in college enrollment. This assists them in determining the estimated size of the incoming freshmen class and the number of expected transfers.
“The enrollment goals for next year are 620 freshmen and 40 transfers,” Director of Admissions Glenn Getchell said. “Freshman enrollment goals are set each year in relation to the total student enrollment goals. Several factors impact the goal for freshman enrollment. The number of students who are returning to Berry, course availability and housing availability are key factors in setting the freshman and transfer goals.”
According to Swieton, the way that Admissions and Residence Life determine the number of returning students is by looking at the existing student population and the retention rates and averaging out the numbers over time. The Board of Trustees also sets a goal for an incoming class size based on the determining factors.
“The Board of Trustees tells our friends in Admissions and Enrollment Management that this is the number that we want to have coming into that freshman class,” Swieton said. “Our projections are based on their target number and it either looks like we’re going to hit the target, be above the target, or be short of the target. It’s not a perfect science but it’s how we do it.”
According to sophomore and commuter student Miriam Miller, there are benefits and negatives to living off campus. Miller is the caretaker for her grandfather who lives in Rome and therefore falls under the exceptions that allow her to live off campus.
“I think there are definitely some perks to both commuting and to living on campus,” Miller said. “Something that’s really helpful about living off campus is that if I want to have my own space or kind of retreat a bit, I have somewhere I can go to do that. I’m not in the middle of everything.”
However, Miller said that a less positive aspect of living off campus is that you’re not as connected to campus life. Attending events late at night is not as practical and it can be hard to feel plugged in.
“It can definitely be isolating when there aren’t as many events geared toward commuter students,” Miller said. “We did have a little representation with the commuter team at the [Mountain Day] Olympics, but other than that, it can be hard to get involved when most events happen in the evening when I’m at home.”
Miller plans on continuing to be a commuter next year but said that the opportunity of living on campus is a valuable one that students should appreciate.
“The thing is, we have the rest of our lives to live on our own independently,” Miller said. “If you don’t have to now, and you have the chance to live on campus and be involved and plugged in, that’s an opportunity that should be taken advantage of. You can create a lot of memories living on campus that you may not be able to if you live with in an apartment by yourself.”
The room selection process is nearing, so Swieton advises students to pay their housing deposit and begin the process of determining if they are able to live off campus and to weigh the pros and cons of that decision.
“Berry is a school where living on campus is a part of the experience,” Swieton said.