No doubt about it: With more than 1,100 new freshman, it's going to get cramped in residence halls next year. Students in the dorms shouldn't count on short waits for the elevator or ever expect to see an open lounge for Saturday morning pancake breakfasts.
But don't blame it all on Housing and Residence Life.
HRL has been dealt a tough hand this year. It has to find beds for more freshman than ever before.
The number of students projected to be in Seattle U's class of 2014 has swelled to 1,118, according to numbers Admissions provided The Spectator Tuesday.
That's 230 more students than the 888 freshmen who enrolled in 2008, a class so large it forced Housing to transform 91 double-occupancy dorm rooms into triple-occupancy units.
It was a tight squeeze, but a practical solution.
Next year Housing will create more "efficiency triples," but it also has been proactively seeking a more permanent solution to Seattle U's chronic space crisis.
As HRL told The Spectator, it's leasing an off-campus apartment complex for additional student housing.
These off-campus units will be furnished with a bed and dresser, cost about the same price as a Murphy Apartment and won't be more than a few minutes walk from Seattle U.
Housing is looking for more than a corner to cram students into for a few months.
Tim Albert, assistant director of HRL, told The Spectator the university hopes to build a long-standing relationship with off-campus building owners, which could help us out in years to come.
So before next year's cacophony of whines about the housing crunch get too loud, remember Housing and Residence Life is doing the best it can to accommodate our
student body.
Reach the editorial board at opinion@su-spectator.com
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