On-campus housing could face space issue by 2012

In just a few years, the University might not have enough beds for its students.

The Office of Housing and Residential Education has worked to promote the benefits of on-campus living, but it may have underestimated its own appeal. Housing could face a bed shortage as soon as fall 2012.

In such a case, housing will help students without an on-campus room find housing on a case-by-case basis with either Granville or somewhere off-campus.

Rick Bradley, assistant director of the housing department, said that two years ago housing had to place about 25 female students in Granville because of a lack of beds for them on campus.

There are 120 extra beds available on campus, but with the University’s probable growth and the closure of Odum Village, these spaces may not last long.

In 2001, UNC created a master plan to determine growth on campus, which officials are still using and updating to guide housing decisions, including construction projects.

There are no immediate plans to expand existing dorms or build new ones, Bradley said. All income for campus housing comes from rent paid by students.

Odum Village, which typically fills all 446 of its beds, will be made unavailable to students in fall 2012 because it will no longer comply with fire code regulations.

If growth continues when the site is unavailable, seniors and graduate students could either be denied on-campus housing or be put in a housing lottery to accommodate for the shortage.

Campus housing remains highly popular among underclassmen. Approximately 85 percent of freshmen live on campus their first year, which Bradley attributes to the positive aspects of University residence hall life.

Sophomore Quentin Adams, who lived for a semester each in Hinton James, Cobb, Ruffin and off campus, said he enjoys the personal feel of University housing.

“I like to walk through campus and see what’s going on,” he said. “Living off campus can feel too detached at times.”

And while a large number of freshmen on campus is predictable, Bradley said a significant number of upperclassmen do the same. About 850 seniors and just under 500 graduate students live on campus, mostly in apartment-style residence halls.

Odum Village, which offers full apartments, and Baity Hill, which provides married student housing, are in high demand among graduate students who want to live on campus. This year 321 undergraduate and 125 graduate students live in Odum Village, and Baity Hill holds about 390 graduate students.

Anna Wu, director of facilities planning, said the site could temporarily be used for non-residential purposes like office space. Eventually, though, she said it could be converted to more high-density housing, possibly modeled after Ram Village.

Ram Village, built in 2006 as part of the University’s plan to accommodate a growing student body, has risen in popularity.

When the facility first opened, 850 students applied for 920 available spots. In comparison, 1,300 students applied for those 920 spots for the current school year.

Four other sites have been marked as potential sites for housing expansion. But it will not be open by 2012 to absorb the residents of Odum Village.

Despite possible shortages, Wu said the ideal number of students living on campus is only around 44 to 48 percent of the student body, showing that off-campus living has a strong appeal. Bradley said more than 51 percent of students at UNC live on campus, but the University will not enforce that range.

“The number is a minimum benchmark only,” Bradley said. “We would not decrease the housing campus supply just to reach that level.”

Not everyone sees the allure of living on campus. Sophomore Max Shepherd, who moved off campus after his freshman year.

“It’s nice to be able to get away from it all sometimes, and having a large space to work on and relax in is great,” he said.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.