2018 Housing Guide

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018 HOUSING GUIDE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Then and Now: College houses through history 4 Complete guide to off campus housing 6 A look into University City landlords 8 New College House: a home for 4 years 10 NCH West: new model for community-based housing 12 NCH West: coffee bar, wellness space & more 14 Where famous alumni lived 16 Where are you living on campus next year?

18 Philadelphia living 20 Beware the hidden costs of moving off campus 22 Roommates: A blessing or a curse?

25 The year in on campus housing mishaps 26 Perspective | Freshmen, should you move off campus?

28 OPINION | Let’s face it: The Quad is an antiquated castle 31 OPINION | Sophomore housing change threatens Greek life's future Rebecca Tan | Executive Editor Chris Muracca | Print Director Julia Schorr | Digital Director Sarah Fortinsky | Senior News Editor Harry Trustman | Opinion Editor Kelly Heinzerling | News Editor

Haley Suh | News Editor Madeleine Lamon | News Editor Michel Liu | Assignments Editor Alisa Bhakta | Copy Editor Lucy Ferry | Senior Design Editor Sam Holland | Senior Multimedia

Gillian Diebold | Design Editor Ben Zhao | Design Editor Alana Shukovsky | Design Editor Christine Lam | Design Editor Chase Sutton | Sports Photo Editor Mona Lee | News Photo Editor

THEN AND NOW: COLLEGE HOUSES THROUGH HISTORY Housing at Penn has undergone significant transformations over the years. From the earliest on-campus housing in the Quadrangle to the newly-renovated Hill College House, The Daily Pennsylvanian explored just how much Penn dorms have changed.

BEFORE: UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER & AFTER: ZOEY WEISMAN

The Quad, which runs alongside Spruce Street, was built in 1895 and was designed by the Philadelphia-based architectural firm Cope and Stewardson. It is home to three College Houses: Fisher Hassenfield, Ware, and Riepe, and consists of 39 individual houses.

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BEFORE: PHOTO FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER & AFTER: DELIA CHEN

Mayer Residence Hall was built in 1964 and was the first building on Penn’s “Superblock.” It was named after Harold C. Mayer, a 1915 Wharton graduate and a senior partner in the Wall Street firm of BearStearns and Co.

BEFORE: UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS CENTER & AFTER: TAMARA WURMAN

Hill College House was listed in The New York Times' "Dorms You'll Never See on the Campus Tour" in 2015. The building, which houses nearly 500 freshmen each year, underwent an $80.5 million renovation from 2016 to 2017. It was originally designed by Eero Saarinen, who also designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Mo. and Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C.

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BEFORE: UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES AND RECORDS & CENTER AFTER: SOPHIA DAI

The high rises were built in the early 1970s and house almost 2,400 undergraduate students.

The land between 38th and 40th streets was purchased by the University in 1968. In the 1960s, Penn housing officials said that the University didn't want to build the high rises, but the issue of "too many students and too little land made the skyscrapers necessary."

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PHOTO FEATURE

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Complete Guide To Off-Campus Housing BORNA SAEEDNIA | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Around Penn's campus, there are a number of leasing companies and apartment buildings tailiored to students. The different options can vary greatly in cost, timeline, and amenities, which are all important details to consider when moving off campus.

Navigating the off-campus housing process ALEX GRAVES Director of Web Development

Moving off campus is fairly common for upperclassmen at

Penn — in 2017, spokesperson for Penn Business Services Division Barbara Lea-Kruger said 71 percent of juniors and 77 percent of seniors live in off-campus housing. But the process of moving off campus can often be confusing and

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challenging to navigate, especially when dealing with factors like financial aid.

Along with our other Housing Guide 2018 content, The Daily Pennsylvanian has put together a guide specifically to help with moving off campus.

Off-campus housing options Around Penn's campus, there are a number of leasing companies and apartment buildings tailored to students, including Campus Apartments, University Enterprises, The Radian, Hamilton Court, and Chestnut Hall.

The different options can vary greatly in cost, timeline, and amenities, which are all important details to consider when moving off campus.

PRICING

Pricing for off-campus living differs greatly, with some options substantially less expensive than living on campus and others more expensive.

An important factor to consider when moving off campus is the length of leases. While on-campus housing is limited to the nine months of the school year, almost all off-campus leases run for 12 months. This

means students need to consider the added difficulty of finding someone to sublet for the summer or of footing the bill for an extra three months.

Many off-campus apartments charge for utilities separately from rent, which can greatly change the cost. While some have a flat fee, like The Radian, which charges $70 per month for utility/amenity, many apartments and houses have utility costs that are based on usage.

Another aspect of living off campus that can influence cost is furniture. Many apartments will come unfurnished, and it's important to keep in mind the added price of buying furniture.

Some apartments buildings offer furniture rentals, but it's often cheaper to buy furniture from IKEA or from someone on Free & For Sale. However, those options require getting the furniture to the apartment, possibly assembling it, and then reselling it at the end of the year.

FINANCIAL AID

According to the University’s off-campus financial aid page,

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TIMELINE

AMENITIES

One advantage of moving off campus is the amenities that off-campus housing can offer over Penn's options. Many apartment buildings have gyms, lounges, and even pools open to residents. Off-campus housing also has the added freedom of living in a PennCard-free building, without the oversight of an RA or GA, and sometimes with the possibility of pets.

WHY DO PEOPLE DECIDE TO MOVE OFF CAMPUS?

People's reasons for moving off campus can differ greatly, from it being a cheaper option than on-campus housing to higher quality living with greater freedom. For Joseph, having a kitchen was the greatest motivating factor.

“I need to be able to have a kitchen, especially with nursing because we have to get up really early for clinicals,” she said.

Price was also a strong motivator in her move off campus.

“I pay a lot less money to live somewhere nicer than [I would] on campus,” she said.

For College senior Dakota Jones, cost was the deciding factor. “I’m paying significantly less in rent, even if you factor in utilities [and the] security

deposit,” he said. “I ended up saving like $2,000 a year by moving off campus versus living in a high rise.”

Many campus groups have offcampus houses, and the community this provides can also be a strong motivator. College sophomore Evan McClelland is a member of the Penn Glee Club and lives in the group’s

MONA LEE | NEWS PHOTO EDITOR

Students' reasons for moving off campus can differ greatly, from being a cheaper option to having greater qualitiy of living with more freedom.

house.

“That it was a social hub was really the main selling point for me,” he said.

McClelland also finds that living off campus provides some

stress relief. To him, being on campus for school, leaving campus to go home, and having those “two distinct, separate spheres is definitely a good feeling.”

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The timeline and process for applying for housing varies by leasing company. Many companies have already opened their applications for the 2019-2020 school year, though they will remain open for months.

Nursing junior Mikayla Joseph lived in off-campus housing during her sophomore year and said she was able to wait until May of her freshman year to finalize her housing in the apartment complex.

This year, she lives in a house right off campus, and she found that the timeline for finalizing the lease was quite different — she had to sign by October 1.

“It’s hard to live in a house sophomore year because you have to figure that out so early in the year,” she said.

Many students looking to live

in off-campus apartment buildings experience similar pressure from the leasing companies to secure housing as early as possible.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

“students receive financial aid based on an assessment of offcampus living expenses in the Philadelphia area.” The page notes that financial aid packages are only for the school year, so the school would only cover nine months of housing, even though many off-campus leases are for 12 months.

For the 2018-2019 school year, SFS offers up to $9,351 for students living off campus, as opposed to the $10,200 for students living on campus.

These discrepancies, as well as the University’s policies on the timing and logistics of financial aid, can often complicate the process of moving off campus.

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A look into University City landlords

The largest off-campus landlord is Campus Apartments CHRIS DOYLE Staff Reporter

Every year, thousands of students venture off campus and sign leases with one of the many landlords that own the houses Penn students rent off campus.

With such an array of leasing companies to choose from and the recent uptick of construction around campus, it can be easy to lose track of exactly who owns what in University City — and just how large a role Penn plays in determining that ownership.

The largest and most prominent off-campus landlord is Campus Apartments, which was founded in 1958 to serve Penn students. Campus Apartments is now a national company that manages over $2 billion in assets, according to a Sept. 18 release.

The company currently owns over 150 properties in University City, approximately 60 to 70 percent of which are occupied

by Penn undergraduate students, Chief Executive Office David Adelman estimated in November

2017.

Campus Apartments notably holds Pine Arms Associates on 40th Street between Delancey and Pine streets. It also owns The Simon at Founders Row, the company's first luxury apartment complex in Philadelphia, which opened this year on 41st and Sansom streets.

Campus Apartments was also one of the original founders of "Beige Block," a popular student housing area between Spruce, Locust, 41st, and 40th streets.

In fall 2002, the company launched a partnership with Penn. In the 16 years since, Campus Apartments has worked on several projects near campus — including the development and ownership of the 136-unit Homewood Suites by Hilton, on Walnut and 41st streets and the adaption of a Penn office building into condominiums.

Campus Apartments also manages Greek Housing, dealing with move-in, keys, damage and repairs, and trash collection. After move-out inspections, Campus Apartment assesses Greek houses for damage and

files any necessary damage costs to bedrooms and the common areas. These costs are subsequently removed from the original damage security deposit, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life's website stated.

In recent years, Campus Apartments was not able to lease all the properties they manage, and Campus Apartments Regional Property Manager Jason Cohen said the company had approximately 200 empty units by mid-March in 2012.

University City Associates is completely owned by Penn and owns about 75 properties off campus. While these offcampus properties are owned by UCA, they have been managed

by Campus Apartments since a 2002 agreement.

UCA's holdings include Astor Apartments on Sansom and 39th streets and Chestnut Arms on Chestnut and 40th streets.

UCA and Campus Apartments have faced student pushback for poor quality housing. In December 2013, six students filed a lawsuit against the Trustees of the University Pennsylvania,

CARSON KAHOE | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

The Post Brothers' University City holdings include Hamilton Court, the building on 39th and Chestnut streets that underwent construction.

Inc. for $39,645 in damages for claims of "utterly reprehensible [housing] conditions" in the 2011-2012 academic year. Their landlord was UCA, and the property was managed by Campus Apartments.

Penn is further tied to the local real estate market through its alumni. 1964 College graduate and former University Trustee Michael Karp is the founder of University City Housing, which owns and manages more than 80 off-campus locations. As of 2014, Karp accounted for approximately 20 percent of off-campus housing.

Students have previously complained that the management at UCH is poor, with students in 2006 reporting that UCH failed to fix a gas leak leaving the students without heat while other students reported having a sewage leak in their basement.

Among its holdings are The Branden at Chestnut and 40th streets, Castle Hill Apartments at Spruce and 43rd streets, and Elizabeth Court at Baltimore and 40th streets.

Another company in the Penn area is University Reality, which owns six apartment building complexes near Penn. Two buildings were scheduled to be completed in spring 2018, but still are listed as in construction on its website.

In fall 2017, Penn students staying in the University Reality's 4046 Chestnut St. building were shuttled to hotels and to other buildings after the renovation on the complex was delayed for months.

There are several other landlords in the area, including the Post Brothers, a housing company founded by Drexel graduates Matthew and Michael Pestronk. The company owns properties throughout Philadelphia valued at over $1.4 billion.

The company's University City holdings include Hamilton Court, the building located on 39th and Chestnut streets which recently underwent a two-year multi-million dollar renovation. HamCo will add a karaoke speakeasy bar, a Halal Guys restaurant, and a $7-8 million "amenity building" with a rooftop pool, hot tub, and gym.

During the construction, residents complained of increases in rent, slow renovations, and a four-day period at the start of this school year without hot water.

Elsewhere in University City, several apartment complexes have ties to Penn, as well. The University aided in construction of the privately owned and managed Radian apartment complex, which opened in 2008 and was intended to house Penn students who desired an off-campus location with community and lounge spaces.

Penn also promoted the opening of luxury complex Domus Apa r tments, a $71-million property located on 34th and Chestnut streets that opened in 2007. With higher rent costs than the surrounding areas, Domus was originally marketed toward young, working professionals in Center City, but has since become a popular spot for undergraduates.

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New College House: a home for 4 years The percentage of juniors increased this year KAITLYN BOYLE Contributing Reporter

Bonding with the residents of your freshman dormitory is a Penn tradition, but most students do not typically choose to stay in these dorms for more than a year — that is, until New College House came along.

NCH, which opened its doors in 2016, prides itself on being home to a vibrant, tight-knit community. Many of its first batch of residents have chosen to continue staying there year after year, and some say they have no plans to leave. With its suite-style dorm rooms and 40-inch flat screen televisions, NCH was the first four-year house to reach capacity during the 2018-19 room selection period, leaving out some 250 interested applicants. In total, the dorm houses 344 residents, excluding staff.

The dorm's popularity with upperclassmen is also growing.

The percentage of juniors in-

SOPHIA XU | CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

The increasing number of upperclassmen may be attributed to NCH's "priority points" application system. All applicants to the house are given a lottery number, but returning residents have the ability to lower their number with priority points.

creased from 3.2 percent in the 2017-18 academic year to 21.9 percent in 2018-19. At the same time, the total number of underclassmen fell from 91.7 percent of the NCH population in the

2017-18 academic year to 73 percent in 2018-19.

The increasing numbers of upperclassmen may be attributed to NCH's "priority points" application system. All appli-

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cants to the house are given a lottery number, but returning residents have the ability to lower their number with priority points. Points are awarded for a variety of reasons, including event participation, employment in the office, and one’s ability to be a “good community member."

Engineering junior Katrina Pham has lived in NCH since she was a freshman, and said she plans to room there again during her senior year.

“It’s very convenient,” Pham said, citing its proximity to the Engineering Quad.

Pham added that she has also come to value the close community at NCH. “Last year, I lived right across from Dr. Cam Grey," Pham said, referring to the NCH's faculty director. "He had these wonderful conversations each weekend night where we would just talk about politics and events."

College junior Jacky Chan, who is entering her third year as a NCH resident, agreed. “[The faculty and staff] genuinely care

for the residents and go above and beyond to check in on people,” she said.

Chan added that it was exciting for her batch of students to get to build the culture around NCH after arriving as its first occupants three years ago.

“We kind of felt a bit special in the sense that we were living in a brand new dorm and quite a bit away from the Quad,” she said.

Both Pham and Chan worked as front desk staff during their first year. Pham then went on to serve on the House Council, which receives an annual budget from the University to spend on dorm events. Chan, inspired by the spirit of mentorship at NCH, served as a Meliora Ambassador during her sophomore year. The position is part of a program that pairs upperclassmen with three to five freshmen also living in NCH. “We actually developed a tight knit community here," Pham said. "It’s kind of something that we still identify with today."

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NCH West: community-based housing New dorm will facilitate more social interaction GORDON HO Staff Reporter

The announcement that sophomores will be required to live on campus in fall 2021 is part of a broader University effort to focus on building community in college houses, mirroring structures of other peer institutions, officials say.

New College House West, the $163 million building that is likely to begin construction January 2019, will be designed with community building in mind. The dorm will open to students in the fall of 2021, which will be the first year that sophomores will be required to live on campus. It is with the additional space in NCHW that Penn will have the ability to house all first- and second-year students.

With a blank canvas, NCHW will be a prototype, designed specifically with the intention of community engagement.

Penn will work toward its goal

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New College House West, the $163 million builiding, will be the first "purpose-built" college house at Penn, which refers to dorms that were constructed to support social and academic growth for students.

by reworking housing structures, reforming residential programs, and redesigning dining experiences.

Housing structures In addition to requiring soph-

omores to live on campus, Penn is making changes to housing to facilitate community involvement.

In NCHW, there will be only suite-style apartments, housing

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three to six people, but there will be no single-room suites at all. Suites will also not have their own complete kitchens, so students will be more encouraged to eat together.

"The college house system, if you look at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and their house system, there’s dining in their buildings," Executive Director for Business Services Doug Berger said, noting that NCHW will, in fact, have a dining hall in the building.

He added, however, that Penn does not aspire to be Harvard or Yale. "[Penn President Amy Gutmann] made this point when we built New College House, I guess we'll call it East, is it's a purpose-built college house and it was the first purpose-built college house at Penn.”

Berger said "purpose-built college houses" refers to dorms that were specifically constructed with built-in spaces to support the residents’ academic and social experiences. Such spaces include music practice rooms, study spaces, seminar spaces, and dining halls.

While other dorms such as Hill College House and King’s Court English House have had those spaces retrofitted subsequently, NCH was the first Penn dorm designed with academic and social spaces from

day one.

Residential communities Another way that Penn is trying to create communities is through changes in Residential Programs. Residential Programs will soon be called "Program Communities," Director of Four-Year Houses and Residential Programs Ryan Keytack wrote in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Program Communities will consist of "Theme Communities" and "Course Communities" for incoming freshmen, while upperclassmen will be offered "Theme Communities" and "Student Designed Communities," Keytack said.

He clarified that for Student Designed Communities, a group of students interested in a topic can design its own program and live together to share the experience.

Keytack added that he is still working with a committee to prepare all the information within the next two weeks and details may still change until then. He said plans to institute these changes will be implemented through a three-step process: change the program names so students understand what they're signing up for, assess all existing programs, and then update or change content as needed.

Dining halls NCHW will have a new dining hall of its own, which Berger and Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger said Gutmann specifically requested.

The new dining hall in NCHW will have a small kitchen, Berger said, and will prepare about 150 to 200 meals a night. Berger added this small dining experience is intended to enhance the intimate and engaging atmosphere Penn hopes the new building can create.

Penn Housing and Dining was not informed of any changes to meal plan requirements for sophomores, Lea-Kruger said.

As of now, while on-campus housing will be mandatory for sophomores and freshmen in 2021, sophomores will not be required to join a meal plan.

Freshmen are currently required to select one of multiple dining options Penn offers.

in dining halls. You don’t go sit down next to someone you don’t know already."

Engineering freshman Kaiying Guo, who lives in Hill, said dining halls should ideally be places to create community.

“It’s important to have a dining hall where people can get together with friends and stuff,” Guo said. “I think it does foster community in the sense that there’s probably some groups of friendships with people you already know, but not necessarily for you to go out of your way to meet new people.”

Wharton senior Carlos Gonzalez, who lived in the Quad his freshman year, also said that dining halls may become a place where students meet with their group of friends. He added that the new dining hall will take away some of the student population who usually goes to 1920 Commons.

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Berger said Penn especially hopes the dining hall in NCHW will become a space in dorms where students and faculty can gather and interact with one another.

“When we talk about dining, that’s part of the communal, the academic piece of a college house and that opportunity to bring the residents and students together — not just to eat to fill themselves, but to have an opportunity to come together, to interact, to share what’s going on in the world, to meet with faculty,” Berger said.

Yet some students say the true community of a dorm may not stem from its dining hall.

“I think the dorm itself creates community, not the dining hall,” said College sophomore Margaret Tebbe, who lived in the Quad and now is a resident of Rodin College House. “I don’t think people spend enough time

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Penn hopes that the dining hall in NCHW will become a space in dorms where students and faculty interact with one another.

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FILE PHOTO

New College House, pictured above, was the first Penn dorm designed with academic and social spaces.

NCHW will follow in its footsteps with a small kitchen in the dining hall for students to use and enjoy.

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NCH West: coffee bar, kitchen & more Plans for the new dorm also include a wellness space GORDON HO Staff Reporter

Penn announced plans in November 2017 to build New College House West, which would cost a record-breaking $163 million and would open on the high rise field in fall 2021.

While some elements of the design are not yet finalized, new details have just been made available to help students know what to expect from the new college house.

NCHW will host 450 students and will be available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. All apartments will be suite-style, as in New College House, with sizes ranging from three-person to six-person suites.

There will be no single-room suites in NCHW, and Executive Director for Business Services Doug Berger and Director of Communications and External Relations Barbara Lea-Kruger were unsure if there will be

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New College House West will host 450 students and will be available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. All apartments will be suitestyle, as in New College House, with sizes ranging from three-person to six-person suites. There will be no single-room suites in NCHW.

double-room suites.

NCHW will have four faculty house dean apartments, a large multi-purpose room, a coffee bar, a wellness space, club and group study rooms, and a com-

munity kitchen, Lea-Kruger said. She added that the exact numbers and types of the amenities may still vary.

The bathroom configuration will be similar to that of Hill

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College House, post-renovation. While NCH bathrooms have the shower, sink, and toilet in one place, NCHW will separate them so that residents can multitask, Berger said.

Like NCH, however, the apartments will not have a fully-functioning kitchen but will instead have a sink, counter, and microfridge, Lea-Kruger said.

The building will also have air conditioning and a dining hall, an amenity that Penn President Amy Gutmann insisted on, Berger and Lea-Kruger said.

Berger and Lea-Kruger emphasized that much of this is not set in stone and funding still needs to be approved by the Board of Trustees. The vote is scheduled for next month.

“Design-wise, things are still being worked on,” Berger said, adding that the architecture firm is still finalizing design and construction documents.

“We are still, basically, in final design."

Lea-Kruger said she did not know what residential programs New College House West will have. Berger also said he did not know where or how the faculty team will be selected.

The annual cost of living in the new building will be $10,200, the same as living

in other on-campus standard rooms — singles, doubles, triples, suites, apartments without kitchens, and apartments with shared bedrooms.

The college house rent fee has increased by about 4 percent each year since the 20162017 academic year, according to published rent rates from Residential Services.

Penn has invested $425 million in Residential Services since 2004. But the upcoming project will cost more than the renovation of Hill and the construction of New College House, which respectively cost $80.5 million and $125 million.

College senior Dominique Thomas said she thought the addition of a dining hall on the west side of campus would be positive.

“Hearing that it has a dining hall is really cool because Commons is the only [dining hall] on this side of the campus," Thomas said. She added that, given her past experience in Harrison, she hoped that there would be kitchens inside the suites.

All these renovations and constructions are part of Penn Connects, a development plan for Penn's campus that was launched in 2006. The latest plan, set forth in 2017, is the third version and will last until 2022.

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34TH STREET Magazine December 1, 2011 34TH STREET Magazine December 1, 2011 14 HOUSING GUIDE 34TH STREET Magazine December 1, 2011

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Why Why Why dododo you you you gogogo totothe tothe the movies? movies? movies?

BY BY BYTHE THE THE NUMBERS NUMBERS NUMBERS

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their their their film film fiviewing lmviewing viewing habits. habits. habits.

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BUILT: 1970

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 752

BUILT: 1970

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS:

LAST RENOVATED:

Sophomore – 41% Junior – 27% Senior – 32%

2002-2009

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS:

LAST RENOVATED:

Sophomore – 48% Junior – 28% Senior – 24%

2002-2009

ROOM TYPES: Singles – 38 Doubles – 158 Triples – 114 Quads – 440

AMMENITIES:

($180 million for three high rises)

AMMENITIES:

ROOM TYPES:

Air Conditioning dining hall 4 residential programs

BUILT: 2016

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS: AMMENITIES: Air Conditioning dining hall

FUN FACT:

Freshman – 32% Sophomore – 41% Junior – 22% Senior – 5%

Doubles – 8 Triples – 54 Quads – 164 5 person – 50 6 person - 78

Among the largest donors to build New College House are members of the Estee Lauder family.

Harnwell is the only College House with a dance studio.

FUN FACT:

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 155

BUILT:

BUILT: 1971

1971

Singles – 11 Doubles – 30 Quads – 200

AMMENITIES: Air Conditioning

Freshman – 57% Sophomore – 20% Junior – 18% Senior – 5%

FUN FACT: Gregory will be the only College House without AC next fall.

Freshman – 87% Sophomore – 9% Junior – 2% Senior – 2%

ROOM TYPES:

Singles – 119 Doubles – 162

Singles – 24 Doubles – 310 (w in ill SU stal be AMMENITIES: MMERled 20 19) Air Conditioning

dining hall 2 residential programs

BUILT: 1915 LAST RENOVATED:

2011

($10 million)

FUN FACT:

Each floor of Kings Court has a different residential program.

Singles – 7 Doubles – 24 Triples – 108 Quads – 20

FUN FACT: Du Bois was built to foster a

community of African American scholarship and culture.

AMMENITIES: Air Conditioning dining hall

($10 million)

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS: Freshman – 30% Sophomore - 28% Junior - 22% Senior - 20% e l b ed 9) (wilstallR 201 in MME SU

l l l i l i w w e e r r e e e h e v h i v W ouu lli puuss W p r?? S yyo caam m r N a O c I a T n e P O n e y o R o exxtt yARE YOU nne THESE

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($8M in yearly projects 2002-2017 not capital renovations)

ROOM TYPES:

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS:

dining hall

1964 (Mayer) 1972 (Stouffer)

LAST RENOVATED: 2009

2013-2014 $14 million)

BUILT:

Freshman – 25% Sophomore – 37% Junior – 18% Senior – 20%

In 2004, a holiday decoration set off a small fire in Harrison.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 233

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS:

ROOM TYPES:

($180 million)

FUN FACT:

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 271

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS:

2002-2009

Air Conditioning dining hall 2 residential programs

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 317

FUN FACT: Stouffer College House is comprised of two separate buildings: Stouffer Hall and Mayer Hall.

Sophomore – 51% Junior – 24% Senior – 25%

Singles – 76 Doubles – 204 Triples – 99 Quads – 404

ROOM TYPES:

ROOM TYPES:

LAST RENOVATED:

AMMENITIES:

LAST RENOVATED:

($125 million)

BREAKDOWN OF RESIDENTS:

THURSDAY, OCTO BER 11, 2018

THURSDAY, OCTO BER 11, 2018

FUN FACT: Before it was renamed after Penn's former president Judith Rodin, Rodin was called Hamilton College House.

BUILT: 1970

ROOM TYPES:

Air Conditioning dining hall 4 residential programs

Singles – 40 Doubles – 142 Triples – 132 Quads – 456

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 339

($180 million)

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 745

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

NUMBER OF STUDENTS : 685

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

Philadelphia Living

The 98th best city to live in the United States Philadelphia was two spots behind New York

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

CHRIS SCHILLER Contributing Reporter

A recent U.S. News & World Report ranking marked Philadelphia as the 98th best United States city to live, just two spots behind New York and seventh out of all cities in Pennsylvania.

The top five consisted of Austin, Texas, Colorado Springs, Colo., Denver, Des Moines, Iowa, and Fayetteville, Ark., respectively.

The ranking used a methodology that considered several factors: job market, cost of living, quality of life, desirability, and net migration.

While Philadelphia scored highly in terms of its job market, it received poor marks for net migration, consistent with other larger cities on the ranking.

This ranking comes just months after another report

ranked Philadelphia as one of the worst big cities to live in, putting Philadelphia at 49th out of the total 62 cities. In this report, compiled by WalletHub, an online credit score company, Philadelphia was ranked highly in the category of safety and quality of life, but was near the bottom of the list with regards to economy and education.

In another recent study, Philadelphia was again ranked poorly. The city was ranked fourth in this recent survey of large cities in which residents

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find their neighbors most annoying.

Despite faring poorly in these livability rankings, Philadelphia was recently named one of the ten coolest U.S. cities to visit by Forbes.

Philadelphia has also fared well in other reports analyzing more specific factors.

Recently, it ranked sixth in a study on how well immigrants are integrated into American cities. The city has also topped rankings for most romantic, best late-night food, and most facial-hair friendly U.S. cities.

Home to the fourth most annoying neighbors

FILE PHOTO

The ranking was based on residents level of annoyance to several different factors: loud music, dirty yards, tobacco smoke.

Dallas took the top spot, followed by Miami KIRA HOROWITZ Contributing Reporter

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Dallas took the top spot as the city with the most irksome Exp.2/23/12 4/11/12 Exp. neighbors, with Miami and Austin, TX, rounding out the For Fast Delivery Call 215-386-1941 top three places. New York and Los Angeles placed fifth and sixth respectively.

Improvenet, an online home improvement resource, conducted the poll in August.

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ranking cities attributed their annoyance to issues stemming from loud music, dirty yards, tobacco smoke, and much more.

The poll indicated that Philadelphia ranked as the worst city in loud adult voices, parking issues, and ugly landscaping. It was also the runner-up for the prevalence of general grumpiness, boundary disputes, ugly homes, and missing mail.

The cities with the least annoying neighbors are Atlanta, Portland, OR, and Minneapolis.

Earlier this year, Philadelphia was ranked third worst in financial health in the country and, in 2017, it placed No. 139 in happiness out of 150 American cities.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

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Beware hidden costs of moving off campus

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Moving can be challenging for those on financial aid JULIE COLEMAN Staff Reporter

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

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Choosing to live off campus can be a big decision for students, and finances often play a significant role. When moving off campus, students on financial aid in particular often face complicated cost obstacles.

While many students say they choose to live off campus to save money, this option can actually pose different financial challenges, especially for students receiving financial aid to cover the cost of housing. Many also must cover extra charges like summer rent and security deposits out-of-pocket.

Student Financial Services estimates this year’s cost of attendance for a Penn student living on campus to be $75,303 and $73,714 off campus. SFS estimated a different cost of attendance for the first time in 2017, which means the amount of financial aid a student receives, which is based on estimated cost, will be lower for students living off campus. Before, the cost of attendance, and therefore financial aid, would be consistent for both.

These overall costs included in attendance are broken down into individual expenses including tuition, dining, travel and housing expenses. The different calculations total between on and off campus students, comes largely from the difference in expected housing costs: $9,351 for on-campus student and $10,200 for those who chose to live off campus.

Barring any changes in expected family income, students’ financial aid assessment should not change throughout their four years whether they live on or off campus, Director of Communications for the Division of Finance Paul Richards said.

Still, choosing to live on or off

campus does impact how much of a student’s aid is allocated to housing.

“The full cost of attendance for students living off campus is slightly smaller than the cost of attendance for students living on campus,” Richards said. “Rent prices in the area are slightly less expensive than maybe the rent prices that they're paying in a college house.”

Richards emphasized that despite this difference in fund allocation, students’ financial aid packages are still assessed in the same way, regardless of whether they are living on or off campus.

Penn’s allocated $9,351, Richards said, is only meant to cover students’ off-campus rent during the nine-month academic year, though most off-campus housing options require a 12-month lease. This leaves students with three extra months of summer rent which not covered by their aid package. If they are not living on campus during the summer, many students try to find people to sublet during this time to mitigate the extra cost.

Though students living off campus may pay cheaper monthly rent than those living on campus, they can incur other charges the latter does not worry about in addition to summer rent costs, like security deposits, furnishings, moving fees, and separate utility bills.

Richards recommends that students weigh all of the pros and cons of both housing options before choosing one, especially since each student’s financial situation is so different.

“There's different expenses that you have to consider that come up at different times of year related to off-campus living that may make it more or less challenging depending on a person's situation, he said.

He continued, stressing that despite the challenges, it is possible for students to live off campus.

“Students who live off cam-

ing for their refund money to come through,” she said.

Regardless, Kapanka does not regret living off campus, and said she has saved money by doing so. “[Living off campus] is a lot better than living on campus because I'm going to have so much more money,” she said, “My rent is $300 a month less than in the high rises.”

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

she does not want to move off campus in part because she does not want to deal with the stress of waiting for her refund. She also lives in California and does not want to risk having to pay rent out of pocket over the summer.

“Even if you can find a way to get cheap enough housing that gets covered by financial aid, most people I know get stressed in the beginning of the year wait-

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tablished,” he said.

Students whose financial aid covers costs that are not billed by the University, as tuition is, will receive a refund for the amount of money the University determines they need. For example, if a student does not have a meal plan but is granted aid for dining, the University will send them a refund to cover the expense.

College sophomore Summer Kapanka currently lives off campus and receives aid from Penn to cover the cost. She ultimately decided to move off campus to save money, as well as to be less restricted by rules that come with living in on-campus college housing.

However, due to problems with her paperwork, Kapanka only received her financial aid refund within the last week. Until recently, Kapanka was paying rent out of pocket, which she said has been difficult.

Richards said that students’ refunds might be delayed either due to an individual student’s specific situation or because of delays in the federal verification process is a possible reason for why a student’s refund might be delayed. During this process, the University must review a student’s FAFSA report to ensure that the data reported there is accurate. Students can be chosen to go through this process randomly, or because or because their FASA included estimate, incomplete, or inconsistent information.

College sophomore Nicole Rocha, who currently lives in Harnwell College House, said

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pus and are very good at budgeting can have a really successful experience and may even save money.”

Aside from the extra three months rent, both Richards and students cited security deposits as one of the main challenges in living off campus. Many students must pay a security deposit, or even their first month’s rent, before they are given their financial aid refund. So, they must pay these charges out of pocket, as the earliest a financial aid refund can be given out is 10 days before classes begin.

Wharton junior Max Grove, who sits on the SFS Advisory Board and is Academic Initiatives Committee Director for the Undergraduate Assembly, said he regularly meets with SFS administrators to discuss how to encourage better communication between students and administrators regarding financial aid.

He added he agrees with Richards and stresses the importance of informing students of their options.

He said he feels that each student’s unique financial situation makes it difficult to generalize what housing option is best.

Grove himself moved off campus after freshman year to save money, especially as he is in a self-described “awkward middle ground” with financial aid.

“I'm going to be paying the full amount of my housing whether it's on campus or off campus-So it is a little cheaper to move off campus, and I stayed in Philly over the summer so it was useful to have a place already es-

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FOLLOW FILE PHOTO

According to estimates from SFS, this year’s cost of attendance for a single Penn student living on campus is $75,303 and $73,714 for living off campus. The overall costs included in attendance are broken down into individual expenses including tuition, dining, travel and housing expenses.

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How to decorate on a student budget Brought to you by 34th Street Tips to help guide your last min. Amazon orders EMMA MOORE Staff Writer

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Interior design and NSO do not go hand–in–hand. Last week, I found every excuse to delay unpacking, sleeping between piles of cardboard boxes

to avoid the hated task of sorting the junk of semesters past.

In the name of “new semester, new me,” I decided to ditch my formerly haphazard decor and strive for something my personal muse, Bobby Berk of Queer Eye, would approve.

Whether you just moved into a spacious Radian apartment or to a two–person closet in the Quad, chances are your place could use a makeover.

Upgrading your place does not have to be expensive. Small design touches can transform your grim concrete box into a stunning home fit for an "adult." Here are some tips to

of bath towels and hand towels ($25) indicate you have your life together. Get a dark color like navy to hide stains.

tapestry and posters with inspirational quotes. Not that it’s terrible look, but maybe not one you want to hang over your

Live music • Film • Dance • Theater Art Education • Community FREE Workshop on Setting & Measuring Goals! Vision Driven Artists Oct 8 2018 @ 6:00 PM http://www.visiondrivenartists.org/ Vision Driven Consulting has teamed up with The Rotunda to bring resources and capacity-building workshops to self-producing artists/musicians, arts organization staff, and event curators in all disciplines. No sign-up necessary.

This week: Identify what you want to achieve in your projects, incorporate critical feedback and self-reflection into your arts practice, brainstorm & receive tools for measuring success.

FREE Vocal Master Class with The Vocal Scientist, Dr. Owen Brown Jr. Oct 10 2018 @ 7:00 PM This hands-on workshop is open to beginner and professional vocalists.

This workshop will explore: rhythm, diction, posture, improvisation, injury prevention, nutrition for singers, and more! Sign up today! Registration is required. www.thevocalscientistmasterclass.eventbrite.com

CinéSPEAK Double Feature: The People Under the Stairs / Get Out Oct 11 2018 @ 7:00 PM cineSPEAK : alternative cinema presents AN EVENING of SOCIAL HORROR -- with a DOUBLE FEATURE of WES CRAVEN'S THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS (1991) starts at 7pm + JORDAN PEELE'S GET OUT (2017), starts at 8:45pm. BYODinner. cinéSPEAK will have popcorn + drinks for a donation.

-Admission is FREE-

2018 Sojo Groove Night Oct 12 2018 @ 7:00 PM

22 HOUSING GUIDE

help guide your last minute Amazon orders, and get your place in shape as you rush through the first week of classes.

Join Camp Sojourner for performances by Philly musicians to benefit our year-round activities! CAMP SOJOURNER, GIRLS’ LEADERSHIP CAMP is a nonprofit leadership program serving Philly girls ages 8-17. FOOD AND RAFFLE will be available at the event, including gift certificates and gift baskets from fabulous local businesses.

-SUGGESTED DONATION $25As an alcohol-free/smoke-free venue, The Rotunda provides an invaluable social alternative for all

4014 Walnut • TheRotunda.org

REESE BERMAN | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR

Whether you are planning on moving into a spacious apartment or to a two-person closet in the Quad, chances are your place could use a makeover; upgrading your space does not have to be expensive.

The Bedroom Matching Sheets Ditch your colored, patterned, torn, and stained sheets of old. Invest in a crisp white sheet set ($20–$50), preferably 100% cotton for a smooth, aesthetically pleasing night’s sleep. The same goes for your duvet cover—pick something neutral and not too busy to match your new sheets.

Bedside Lamp Unless you consistently overnight in Van Pelt (RIP Huntsman), the overhead light should not be the only source of illumination in your room.

Having a lamp ($30–$80) nearby will allow you to conveniently turn off the lights while never leaving your bed.

Full Length Mirror Get one ($20–$40). Check yourself out head–to–toe.

Kitchen and Bathroom Complete Towel Set Like sheets, a matching set

Soap Dispenser Buy your hand soap in bulk and use a refillable dispenser ($15). You’ll save $$ and look adult AF. Cooking Supplies Get the kitchen basics ($50): pot, frying pan, sheet pan, knife, spatula, cutting board, Tupperware so you can engage in the adult activity of meal prep. You can learn to cook later.

Trash Cans with Lids Trash cans with lids ($30) are especially essential for the bathroom and kitchen. They trap odor and hide mess unlike lidless models. Pro tip: the bigger the can, the fewer trips to the trash chute.

Wall Art With wall decoration, adopt a “less is more” approach. If you’re living off campus this semester, take the time to reevaluate your decor situation.

Nothing screams college dorm like string lights, a mandala

head for all four years. Make your own DIY decor or scout out interesting and affordable prints on Society6 and Etsy.

Chose a few statement pieces for your bedroom and living room, then use command strips to hang them up.

Empty alcohol bottles do not constitute decoration. Kindly dispose of those grimey handles ASAP.

The Small Touches Plants They're cute, environmentally–friendly, and prove you can take care of a living thing.

Succulents and cacti are the easiest to care for. Grab one at the Wednesday farmer's market on campus.

Candles While banned in dorm rooms, if you're allowed to have them, whip these bad boys out for light ambiance and a soft, sophisticated glow.

Doesn't hurt to place a scented one in your bathroom, either.

Friday, October 12 A day full of deals along Spruce, Walnut, and Chestnut Streets.

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HOUSING GUIDE 2 3

Thinkers Scholars + Ballers

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Roommates: a blessing or a curse?

Brought to you by 34th Street You could find a new friend — or an arch-enemy VALENTINA ESCUDERO Staff Writer

When I was applying for housing last summer as an incoming freshman, I was set on one thing only: living in a single. Whether it be in the Quad, Hill, or any of the other freshman housing options, my main goal was to eat, sleep, and live alone. I witnessed classmates who I hadn’t yet met in real life scrambling for roommates on Facebook, while others chose to REESE BERMAN | STAFF ILLUSTRATOR “go random” to let fate decide.

People online and offline are Sharing a space with someone, especially for the first time, can be a bargain. There are trade-offs that are expected, as with any living incredibly different, though. The arrangement, but sometimes, this can be for the best, even if it seems like it's the worst. No matter your living situation, you learn something. dynamic Flexible is different.Leasing Although • Single and Double Rooms • for Individual some, measuring compatibiland while talking to each other we ter the first week of living together. furniture, and refused to move anyLeases • Alldisguise.

Amenities and Utilities Included ity based on medium-length bios Sarda and Vura met on the room- discovered we have the same favor“I remember we went to this one thing when I moved my stuff in. posted on the class page proved a mate search group. They spoke to ite restaurant! Serafina.” When in party the first day of NSO expect- Our room is still currently set up good idea, for others, this was ma- each other for a while and got to New York, “we got Sephora make- ing it to be amazing, and literally that way, where I have no room for jorly ineffective. Even, dare I say, know each other with time, Call eventu- overs and ate at Serafina, went to left within half an hour and de- my personal belongings.” devastating. ally FaceTiming and even meeting the meatpacking district, Chelsea cided to get broccoli cheddar soup However, the experience has In the case of College sopho- up in New York 215.662.0802 once when Devi- Market, and the New York High instead from Wawa and just chill not been a total loss despite how mores and roommates Devishi shi was there for a holiday.

Line together.” on the terrace above McClelland.” unpleasant the situation has been.

Sarda and Isabella Vura, their “I’m from Kolkata, India, and This lucky pair hit it off from the For Sarda, it was comforting to “Some of the things I’ve learned Email worlds colliding was a blessing in my roommate is from New York, start, and the magic wasn’t gone af- know she had found her support from this experience, as someone system — someone to rely on. She who is soft spoken and agreeable, AxisLeasing@AltmanCo.com likes to say she “found [her] part- is how to stand my ground and ner in crime.” stick up for myself.”

Sarda and Vura have enjoyed Still, having to endure such Stop in their time together so much that awkward tension, at best, and agthey will be rooming together gressive friction, at worst, is tough 20 South 36th Street again next year. as a freshman transitioning into On the other hand, some room- college. “This semester’s dynamic mates are not as lucky. A freshman for us is characterized by hostile in the College who chose to remain silence and it’s the best case sceFlexible Leasing • and Double • Today toSingle learn howRooms to make anonymous met their roommate nario for us, unfortunately. I would Individual Leases • All Amenities and Utilities Included over Facebook the day that they advise getting to know someone The Axis your home away were assigned to each other. They before roommate requests and reCall chose to do a random selection. quest to be with someone you think from home!

Furnished Rooms • Flexible Leases It only took a month to realize you will get along with, or apply 215.662.0802 they were not meant to be. for a single. I would never room Email• Utilities and Great Amenities “Our interests didn’t align and with my roommate again in a milAxisLeasing@AltmanCo.com that was okay with me, but the way lion years.”

Housekeeping included he communicated with me about Sharing a space with someone, Stop in our living situation is what made especially for the first time, can be South 36th (9am Street – 5pm) Monday20 – Saturday me realize that we might not live a bargain. There are trade-offs that well together.”

215.662.0802 are expected, as with any living arBecause the roommate moved rangement, but sometimes this can Today to learn how to make www.universitycityaxis.com in beforehand, he had more of a say be for the best, even if it seems like The Axis your home away 20 S. 36th Street Philadelphia PA 19104 in choosing the furniture. And so, it’s the worst. No matter your living from home! as expected, “he took every luxury situation, you learn something and our room had to offer — the big- have an opportunity for growth. It ger wall, the bigger closet, the nicer might even make for a great story.

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Volatile weather has plagued many on-campus buildings BRITNEY FIRMIN Contributing Reporter

Lack of air conditioning This past August, many freshmen students in Kings Court English College House were forced to sleep in air-conditioned lounges to compensate for the lack of air-conditioning in their rooms.

KCECH, Du Bois College House, and Gregory College House are the only on-campus residential houses without air-conditioning, and students endured record high temperatures during the heat wave that hit campus as the semester began.

The Daily Pennsylvanian reported Monday that there were plans to install AC in the three remaining college houses in the works. KCECH and Du Bois will get AC next summer, and Gregory, while still on track to eventually getting AC, does not have a date set yet.

While students were reportedly fighting for space to sleep in cooler common areas, Penn’s Facilities and Real Estate Services offered some temporary solutions to counteract the heat, such as water ice trucks outside of student dorms.

PHOTO FROM CONNOR HSU

Two residents of the Quad, College freshman Connor Hsu and Engineering freshman Gabriel Frydman, were forced to relocate after their ceiling unexpectedly collapsed in September 2018.

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Mold grows in the Quad Mold has been growing in the hallways of Quad since late September and continued to grow through the beginning of October. Before fall break, Penn's Facilities and Real Estate Services found mold in 22 student rooms in the Quad. Mold was found in dozens more rooms over the break.

Black mold can cause serious

Cold weather hurts infrastructure The bomb cyclone that hit the northeast last January resulted in collapsed ceilings, flooding, and burst pipes in Harrison, Harnwell, and Rodin College Houses as students returned from winter break. All three high rises endured extensive flooding due to the burst pipes caused by frigid temperatures.

Numerous reports of burst pipes came in to the Division of Public Safety two days before classes resumed.

Residents in Harrison had been informed via email about rooms being flooded as a result of the burst pipes, with some students having to relocate from their dorm due to buildup of black mold.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

Housing on the University of Pennsylvania's campus has gone through a series of renovations, new projects, and calls for improvement.

Buildings throughout Philadelphia have been tested as the historic city, with ancient buildings and outdated infrastructure, has had to endure the tumultuous weather conditions that have struck the nation as well as our campus.

Many buildings on Penn's campus, too, have been around for decades — some even are over a century old, and they have to withstand the intense cold and heat over the seasons.

Even before the most recent controversy over the new requirement for sophomores to live on campus starting 2024, students were already vocalizing concerns about the quality of on-campus housing options.

Just this past year, the campus has experienced widespread issues in buildings, from burst pipes and mold growth to collapsed ceilings.

As Penn takes steps to remedy these issues, The Daily Pennsylvanian reflects on some of the housing mishaps on campus over the past year.

Ceiling collapses On Sept. 15, two freshmen had to relocate from the Quad after their ceiling collapsed. A similar incident happened in February 2017 when two college freshmen in Ware College House experienced a ceiling collapse in Butcher Hall on the fourth floor.

After calling Penn Residential Services, the two students were informed that they would have to move out of their room, with little information about when they would be able to return.

health issues, Student Health Services Executive Director Giang Nguyen said, especially for those prone to allergic reactions. Students have been relocated to nearby hotels and dorms by FRES while they await remediation for their rooms.

Residential services spokespeople have attributed the increased number of reported mold cases to an especially humid summer in Philadelphia.

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

A look into this year's housing mishaps

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM

OPINION

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I had walked to the Green Line Cafe on 42nd and some thrift shops on 45th, but had never truly gone another block into the city.

Instead of popping, the Penn bubble had insulated my freshman experience and cushioned my social life into the small sphere of Locust and Walnut streets. While it is convenient to have everything you need within

I expected to find a place I both liked and could afford (especially when financial aid packages can be applied to off-campus living).

The choice to move off campus was financial, but personal as well. The expense of living in a dorm seemed disproportionate to the quality of living, and it was actually fairly uncomplicated to find an apartment for cheaper than Penn charges for its dorms.

My 12-month lease amounts to less than Penn charges for oncampus housing where students live for only 10 months, many of

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a five-block radius, the insular nature of existing in such a small social sphere can be more damaging than one might think.

Emotional growth or peace is stunted the second your back hits the ceiling of that Penn bubble.

But it’s not as scary as you think to break free.

Upperclassmen I worked with at the Kelly Writers House told me that moving off campus was the best decision they made, and last year, I eagerly opened my computer in search of the freedom they claimed helped them decompress after stressful days; a freedom afforded to them by distance. I faced some financial difficulty in regard to balancing a convenient location with relatively acceptable living standards, but it was easier than

them without full kitchens and with roommates. This obviously doesn't encompass every apartment complex in the city, but don’t forget that The Radian isn't the only place you can live in if you move off campus.

College can brand you with a mark of independence and freedom, but this freedom felt truly complete when I signed my lease. Having an apartment allows me to leave Penn’s campus at the end of a long day and see people on the street not wearing Pennface. I greet neighbors in the morning who aren’t in my 8 a.m. recitation, and that’s O.K.; actually, I find it healthy.

Not everyone needs to be constantly surrounded by activity and hustle.

If your personality is suited to

SIMONETTI SAYS

I

SOPHIA DUROSE

ISABELLA SIMONETTI

FILE PHOTO

moderately nicer housing.

In certain situations, living off campus might save money. So the inconvenience of the housing search might be justified by cheaper prices. But it’s important to take into account the benefits of on-campus housing. All college housing comes furnished, includes 24-hour security, and access to laundry rooms. These are benefits that will likely warrant extra spending, depending on where you choose to live off campus.

For students with significant financial aid packages, moving

off campus presents additional hurdles. By choosing to live in an off-campus apartment versus a dorm, students stand to lose at least $1,000 in potential aid.

For some, it’s healthy to gain distance from Penn. Still, on-campus housing can be convenient. All of my classes, the library, and popular meeting spots on campus are close to the high rises, where I live this year. And I haven’t found any mold growing on my walls, yet. In fact, I’ve found that the high rises are fairly well maintained.

I don’t agree with Penn’s

decision to force sophomores to live on campus, particularly as a means to improve student wellness. Oncampus housing may be favorable, but it hasn’t improved my mental health.

Ultimately, where you live is a personal decision. You have to make the choice that best suits your individual needs. But offcampus housing does not live up to the hype. So, freshmen, while you still have the opportunity to decide where you live next year, seriously consider living on campus.

ISABELLA SIMONETTI is a College sophomore from New York studying English. Her email address is simonetti@thedp.com.

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used to think that living off campus was a necessity.

During October of my freshman year, many of my classmates organized groups of friends they barely knew, and scrambled to sign leases for apartment complexes and houses near Penn. Back then, off-campus housing seemed like the cooler choice.

First semester of my freshmen year, I had a single in the Quad. I didn’t know anyone well enough to decide if I wanted to live with them. At that point, I was still getting lost on the way to my classes.

I certainly didn’t know enough to make an educated decision on where I wanted to live. Often, living off-campus requires conducting research and committing to a house or apartment pretty early on. On-campus housing, on the other hand, gives you the opportunity to take your time picking your roommate(s).

Recently, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced that sophomores will be required to live in college housing starting in 2021.

But off-campus housing remains an option for second-year students in the Classes of 2022 and 2023. Is it really worth the hassle, though?

Luxury apartment complexes with steep prices remain popular among Penn students.

A four-bedroom apartment in the Radian with a 12-month lease costs between $1,650 to $1,700 per person each month.

A two-bedroom unit at Domus costs around $1,700 per person.

These prices are significantly more expensive than some on-campus options for upperclassmen that cost as little as $10,200 per school year.

Plus, you don’t have to worry about struggling to finding subletters for the summer.

Sure, places like the Radian and Domus might have gyms and fancy lobbies, but you can go to Pottruck for free and decorate your high-rise apartment to your liking. In other words, don’t let social pressure bring you to pay ridiculous prices for

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

the constancy of on-campus living, the endless stream of events and plans and parties, then by all means, enjoy your time and take advantage. However, Penn makes it exceedingly easy to distill the entire world into its old brick buildings, and we must not forget that more exists out there.

L eaving ca mpus a nd having a space in a different social sphere — a social sphere unaffiliated with college in general — can provide you with the healthy emotional break you sometimes need. Not to mention the physical act of walking to an off-campus living situation is the perfect excuse to skip a gym session every now and again. Having a full kitchen and access to your own groceries can lead to healthier eating (G-d knows I needed that after a freshman year of surviving off bagels and nonperishable snacks).

Living in the Quad is seen as an invaluable and necessary experience, but not everyone needs to be constantly saturated in the negative culture of sleep deprivation and 24/7 activity.

Everyone deserves a break, but it’s easier to catch your breath and take this break when you’re not living in the epicenter of the rumbling recreation.

Hidden costs, long walks, and annoying subletters stopped me from moving off campus

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Freshmen, you don’t have to live off campus next year

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

OPINION

Let’s face it: The Quad is an antiquated castle CHRISTY QIU

Penn’s rent is too expensive to pick traditions over amenities

B

etween a collapsed ceiling and the discovery of illness-inducing mold, it’s been a long month for the Quad.

With each announcement, student perceptions of on-campus housing shifts. The Quad has long been perceived as an essential part of the freshman experience — it’s the center of social life and a Penn landmark. But the reality is, the proposed renovation is long overdue.

Needless to say, the Quad holds a remarkable legacy. For many, living in the Quad is the epitome of not only the freshman experience, but the Penn experience. Walking through those towering gates into the majestic castle means you become a part of a magnificent tradition.

However, those living in the Quad give up basic amenities — clean bathrooms, peace and quiet, rodent-free hallways, to say the least. In return, they get to live the college experience to the fullest, so it’s all worth it, right?

When I was applying for

FILE PHOTO

housing, I devised what I thought to be an ingenious plan, but to some, it was unthinkable. For my six housing choices, only two were from the Quad, and they were both at the bottom. At the top was the glorious New College House, which is where I’m at now. Meanwhile, some of my peers listed houses from the Quad as many times as possible.

Sure, I saw the appeal of the

Quad being an environment where everyone around you is also a struggling freshman, just trying to figure out college the same way you are. Still, at the end of the day, I’m paying a large chunk of money for housing; social life is just an added bonus.

This large chunk of money inflates with each academic school year. For the year of 2016-2017, housing cost $9,450. Two years

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have passed, and the price has increased 7.94 percent to $10,200.

When applying, housing prices perplexed me. How is it that a student living in an non-air-conditioned, rodent-infested double room, sharing a bathroom with other floormates has to pay the same price as another student living in an air-conditioned, hygienic, large single with a private bathroom? Rooms vary drastically, yet there’s one set value for them all.

Taking this into consideration, I needed to weigh my factors. What are the essential elements in a room that you can’t find elsewhere? Privacy, shelter, and comfort. My bedroom at home was my sanctuary. It was the place where I could find peace and block out the hectic life outside. It was where I spent many hours, plopped in my bed, watching episode after episode of whatever TV show I was obsessed over. It was where I solved the most difficult math problems, wrote the most beautiful essays, read the most heart-wrenching books, and drew the most elaborate sketches.

It was where I would laugh hysterically, sob uncontrollably, dance embarrassingly, and be completely me. It was an extended vestige of myself.

Especially at Penn, a school bursting with academic rigor, my room has to be the place where I can unwind. Social life and the freshman experience can be found outside of my room, outside of the hallway, and outside of the college house. Living in a certain college house doesn’t exclude one from gaining the freshman experience, and not living in the Quad doesn’t signify that you are less of a Penn student than a Quad resident. Penn’s traditions are spread throughout campus, and students find their own niche in each college house. Why not find this niche in the most comfortable, accommodating one?

Freshman opinions show that they are beginning to seek this comfort and accomodation. NCH, in particular, is a well sought-after option. Students

CHRISTY QIU are able to enjoy suites with private, single rooms, common areas with welcoming sofas, clean bathrooms within every suite, and a flat screen TV that connects to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other entertainment apps. Along with the room and suite furnishings, NCH includes kitchens, laundry rooms, seminar rooms, a reading room, a dining hall, a private courtyard, and more. Within suites, you experience the friendly, relatable feeling of “figuring out college together.”

There’s also an abundant amount of opportunities to socialize with fellow housemates.

Events are planned every other week, whether it’s an outing to Sky Zone or a dinner for Restaurant Week. NCH may not stand against the long legacy of the Quad, but within three years, NCH has developed a stellar reputation.

It’s no brain teaser why students are choosing to stay in NCH after freshman year. The exquisite blend of superb amenities and community captivates all.

It’s time to move on from what’s traditionally “cool” to what’s livable. Amenities must outmaneuver traditions, and Penn is finally acknowledging many issues, including students’ needs for these amenities, by announcing the Quad renovation. Students should not have to relinquish comfortable living conditions just to gain a sense of belonging. Only then will students truly find their home away from home.

CHRIST Y QIU is a College freshman from Arcadia, Calif. studying architecture. Her email address is christyq@sas.upenn. edu.

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For the safety of campus and the future of greek life, sophomores can’t be barred from chapter houses

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the third-party housing company that owns much of the off-campus property around Penn. As sophomores exit its availability pool, off-

ish. Would you rather join a place you have to wait a year to live in or one that you can move into immediately? For most freshmen, it’s an easy answer.

We believe that off-campus, unaffiliated fraternities pose one of the greatest risks to the safety of the Penn Greek c o m m u n i t y.

Their members do not have to go through the numerous training sessions on safety and violence that we do, and they do not have national organizations to make sure they follow hard alcohol and hazing bans. The University could make these organizations disappear with this simple change to its policy. The fact that it won’t makes me wonder what it is the school really cares about.

I’m not saying on-campus Greek life at Penn is perfect: it’s not. But, by taking away the things that are good about Greek life, the school will create a truly broken and toxic system.

By taking away the things that are good about Greek life, the school will create a truly broken and toxic system.” campus rents will decrease, prompting juniors and seniors to choose those options over chapter houses.

Lower off-campus rents will also bolster the very institutions that the task force was originally hoping to rein in: off-campus fraternities.

The most unfathomable part is that, with this policy, the University could have the ability to end off-campus fraternities for good, yet has chosen not to. If it were to count affiliated, on-campus fraternity and sorority houses as additional places sophomores could live, the appeal of off-campus fraternities would van-

The school needs to see the danger in this choice. We ask for the support of the greater community, Greek and non-Greek alike, in bringing this to the University’s attention. We ask President Gutmann and Provost Pritchett to sincerely consider allowing sophomores to live in affiliated Greek chapter houses.

This is not only to save our houses, chapters, and Greek community, but also to provide a safe and structured environment for our future sophomore members in helping them transform and grow in their second year at Penn.

We hope the University will listen.

Written with the assistance and support of: IFC Executive Board: Reggie Murphy, Noah Gelles, Matt Moore, Kevin Hayes, Michael Pearson, Danny Leiser, Lucas Almada-Sabate And Panhellenic Executive Board: Kaylee Slusser, Kyler McVay, Julia Keyes, Shivani Prakash, Kristen Murray, Katie Bontje, Mackenzie Lukas, Mayha Shah, Elena Hoffman, Alexis Broussard

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are already a problem. Rooms are often unclaimed, and there is great financial pressure from both the school and our alumni to keep them at capacity. Excluding sophomores would make that goal even less attainable since they currently comprise at least half of all chapter house residents.

We’ve seen a steep loss in availability from juniors and seniors, and many larger houses would find it next to impossible to fill them using only those two classes.

What this means for fraternity and sorority life is that many organizations are no longer going to be able to support their chapter houses — the central element to Greek life and the rush process.

As a result, the first major blow to the Greek system will come in the form of decreasing diversity among chapters. Eventually, as fraternities and sororities disappear along with their houses, their individual cultures on campus will also vanish.

One of the things that makes us believe in Penn Greek life the most is the ability for so many different definitions of Greek life to exist together. By cutting the total number of Greek organizations on campus, we lose that diversity.

That won’t be the only loss from this housing policy. It is incredibly expensive for Greek organizations to leave even a few rooms in their chapter houses unfilled, and this will result in a sharp increase in dues, effectively creating an atmosphere of financial exclusivity in Greek life at Penn. For sororities, just a few rooms left vacant often means triple-digit increases for anyone paying dues. We believe that this policy would drastically change who has the financial ability to rush on this campus — and preventing low-income students from rushing is something the University cannot let happen.

A compounding issue may also come from Campus Apartments,

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

he University just announced that sophomores will soon be required to live on campus. Unfortunately, the definition of “on campus” does not currently include affiliated fraternity and sorority housing.

What the University fails to account for in this decision is that chapter houses already function as places that promote sophomore wellness, and the negative effects of removing them would drastically impact chapter diversity and economic inclusion — bolstering unaffiliated, off-campus institutions.

Affiliated, on-campus chapter houses check every box the University is looking for when it comes to their new Second Year Experience Program: supervision, community, and wellness. Not allowing sophomores to live in these houses eliminates an important, and often healthier, alternative to college housing.

Penn is unique among its peers in that it often owns our chapter houses. All but a few function through PennCard swipe access and are always open to University scrutiny.

Because of this, they are some of the most well-monitored places on campus.

As for supervision, fraternity and sorority chapter houses have a number of dedicated upperclassmen and advisors who can provide the same oversight and advice as any residential advisor. The upperclassmen and advisors in these houses have gone through extensive training from institutions like Counseling and Psychological Services, Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault, and Penn Anti-Violence Educators.

They know when they need to act to keep younger members safe. Most importantly, these houses consist of students who are coming together over shared experiences and values, bolstering their sense of community and overall wellness.

However, the critical issue here is the enormous harm to Greek life that would result from barring sophomores from chapter houses.

The most immediate difficulty is the need to fill our houses, and it is well known within the Greek community that occupancy rates

GUEST COLUMN BY IFC EXECUTIVE VP BRIAN SCHMITT

THEDP.COM | THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN

OPINION

THE DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN | THEDP.COM THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018

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