With spring break over, housing registration is approaching quickly. Next year’s seniors have already applied to live off campus and room draw will begin shortly.
Andre Broquard, director of resident life at JBU, said that as of now, there are 69 seniors that will live off campus, four that will live with faculty or staff, several getting married and 10 who will be 22 or older. The numbers are still rolling in as the semester draws to a close, however.
“Everything is still in a state of flux,” Broquard said. After everyone fills out their pre-housing registration he will have a much better idea of who will be where.
Roughly 50 seniors lived off campus the 2011-2012 school year, compared to the 69 for the 2012-2013 year.
This extra number of seniors off campus will hopefully free up some dorm space or spots in townhouses, as residence life currently estimates there will be 940 to 980 students living on campus next school year. In fall 2011 there were 939 on campus. This spring there are 915.
Junior Dylan Smith plans to live in a townhouse with a group of friends. “I want to live somewhere that is a little quieter than J Alvin,” he said. “[J Alvin] is fun, but sometimes [is] a little difficult to find some quiet time to do homework. I know most of the guys in my group next year, and they’re all serious students. Plus, I’m excited about a full kitchen and an actual house to live in.”
This upcoming year, seniors and a few juniors have another option for living on campus, in the Broadhurst Village duplexes.
The duplexes are typically rented out by the University to seniors, graduate students or married couples that want off-campus housing on campus. Due to overflow in the dorms, 16 seniors are currently living in the duplexes. But for the 2012-2013 school year, Broquard plans to keep the duplexes for on-campus students.
The process will function much like the townhouses, he said. There are 36 spots available, mostly in units of four. There will also be two resident assistants.
Upperclassmen will apply to live in the duplexes, and priority will be given according to credit hours. Overflow will be directed to wherever open spots are available, whether in the townhouses, North Hall or any of the other dorms. Those groups, he said, would have to break up or shuffle around.
Despite greater options on campus, off-campus living is still popular.
Junior Maria Taylor is one of the 69 planning to live off campus next year. She and five friends have rented a house together. “Living off campus will save several thousand dollars,” she said. “I also just love the idea of living in a real house in a real neighborhood. Coming from the townhouses, the transition to living in an off-campus house will not be severely significant as far as responsibility goes, but it will be fun and different. Also, while I love JBU and our beautiful campus, I am just ready [for] something new.”