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Emily Joswick
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With the freshmen class gradually increasing every year, the demand for off-campus living arrangements has dramatically increased. More freshmen plus the amount of sophomores already in the residence halls means a dwindling amount of rooms on-campus to which upperclassmen have access.
The bigger classes have already made an impact on Platteville.
“Most people want their own space, and dorms are just too tight,” said Marissa Dow, the Assistant Manager for Normandy Partners.
Normandy Partners owns multiple apartment buildings in the area, including Washington Place Apartments.
Although the space may be small and roommates may learn to dislike each other, Dow said students should experience living in a residence hall.
Katie Martin, a junior public relations major, lived in the residence halls for two academic years.
“I am ready to be more independent and adult-like,” Martin said. “I had to rely on meal plans to get food, and now I can cook for myself.”
Martin also calculated her expenses including tuition and residence hall fees and found an apartment that would be less expensive than paying for a residence hall room.
Alyssa Graham, a junior graphic design major, had never experienced living in the residence halls, but feels as if they would be exactly as others describe the living quarters.
“I just need my own space and dorms just seemed so cramped,” Graham said.
Even with the positive aspects of living off-campus, Martin and Graham do agree on a few of the cons of moving.
“It’s hard to meet people of the same age and interaction is more difficult,” Martin said.
“It’s difficult to manage your own money and to pay your own bills,” Graham said.
Chad Walsh, co-owner of Platteville 81 LLC, enjoys renting to college students.
“They pay their rent on time, and we’ve never really had any problems with college students,” Walsh said.
There are many resources on-campus for housing needs. Diane Lind is the Rental Resource Coordinator and is located in the Pioneer Involvement Center (PIC). One of the ways to learn about off-campus housing is from the annual housing fair which was on Oct. 23, from 6-8 p.m. in Velzy Commons. Lind said the housing fair was started to help students who had difficulty finding other resources.
Other resources include updated rental and dormitory information at the Information Desk, the PIC, the Housing Department