a student newspaper of the university of tulsa
january 27, 2014 issue 14 ~ volume 99
Students pushed off campus
The University of Tulsa is a residential campus. The administration and many students want to keep it that way. But growing enrollment and cheap off-campus housing have caused many students to move into surrounding neighborhoods. Can TU keep up with the growth? Nikki Hager / Collegian
As TU expands its student population, housing on campus has become increasingly sparse, leading off-campus housing to look more attractive to many upperclassmen. Nikki Hager Staff Writer
Unexpected Expansion Returning from winter break, students found a sizeable fenced-off hole spanning from the edge of the Allen Chapman Activities Center to Fifth Place and Florence. Construction of the new north residence hall and office building is officially underway. University President Steadman Upham announced plans for the new building in a November letter to students and faculty. According to Upham, the building will accommodate a significant increase in student enrollment.
Over the past two academic years, the University of Tulsa has seen a 13 percent increase in student population. Several years ago, Upham said, the university had planned to increase the size of the student body by around 1,500 students. The plans were put on hold following the 2009 financial collapse. The recent increase however, was not by design, but an indicator that the economy is turning around and more students are able to enroll in private universities, Upham said. TU has already had to adapt housing to fit the growing demand. The Collegian reported on the 67 freshman living in the Aloft downtown hotel this fall. Additionally, the West Park apartments located off campus at Fourth and Lewis became available for students mid-summer. Despite the university’s attempts to accommodate more students, it is becoming less likely that students will get their first choice of housing.
Gracie Weiderhaft was initially assigned to live in a dorm during her senior year after she spent her junior year studying abroad in Germany. “When I went abroad, I had to cancel my housing license at TU,” said Weiderhaft, who lived in the University Square Apartments her sophomore year. Both Weiderhaft and her roommate, who was also abroad at the time, sent friends to serve as proxies during the housing selection process. “We figured that since we were both seniors, it wouldn’t be too hard to get an apartment. We were wrong… no apartments were available, so we wound up in West Suites,” Weiderhaft said. “Not that there is anything wrong with West Suites, but it was my senior year, and I was burnt-out on dorm life. In apartments you can have people over whenever, throw parties, cook all the time, enjoy your own shower. We were both pretty upset.” Fortunately Weiderhaft and her
roommate were offered an apartment in the West Park complex mid-summer. “It’s a block off campus so it’s not quite as convenient as the other apartments, but I don’t mind. West Park is very nice,” Weiderhaft added. While the West Park apartments worked well this year for a handful of students, the new complex includes only 15 two-bedroom apartments and five single bedroom apartments, so only about 35 students are able to live there. If the university continues to expand at the current rate, numerous students will be unable to attain an apartment. Housing How-to The housing process itself is fairly complex. Students wishing to live on-campus are entered into a housing lottery. Preference is first given by seniority—graduate and law students are given first preference, seniors next, followed by juniors, and so on. Within each
grade level, there is an additional level of preference: first international students, then people who already have apartments, then students who wish to live on campus in the summer, then students who want summer storage. According to Melissa France, the Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services/ Director of Housing & Residence Life, the likelihood of students getting an apartment varies. “We never know how many students will select to retain their current apartment. Some years more apartments come available for the lottery than others,” France said. “The important thing to note is that housing is always changing, and even if something is unavailable when you come through, be sure to let us know if you want to be on a waiting list, because things change, and something could become available a week later or even over the summer.” Currently, around 70 percent of
See Housing page 4