Figuring out where to live is a huge component of the college selection process, and fortunately for next semester’s freshmen, they’ll have more options than anyone else on campus. However, this comes with a few unforeseen circumstances that may be considered a tad inconvenient to the current upperclassmen. In the coming semester, all residents in the Kennesaw Place Housing Complex will be forced out in order to make room for the incoming freshman class.
This change will require all current upperclassmen residents to move into the Austin Residence Complex or an off-campus location. The radical transformation is anything but ideal to the current occupants, because of the increase in price of living in Austin, as well as the need to move out.
Michelle Barlow, currently a 12th grade student at South Forsyth High School is expected to live in the University Village next semester, but has her own opinions on the drastic transformation of the north half of campus.
“I had no idea that I would be part of such a humongous class,” Barlow says. “I chose Kennesaw because it was the most cost-effective option, but I had no idea the housing would cost triple the amount of my tuition- and that doesn’t even include the required meal plan.”
KSU is simply known by many as a commuter campus, but the school is desperately trying to change that.
This is not only inconvenient to the students currently inhabiting the apartment complex, but to those who were planning to move there next year. Freshman Accounting major, Kevin Nolan has been planning to move to KSU Place since October, but now faces the challenge of either commuting or being forced to pay more than what he had anticipated.
“Right now, KSU Place is an affordable option for those who are not financially capable of living in the Austin Complex,” Kevin says. “I live on campus this year, but because of these circumstances, I may be forced to move home and commute over twenty-five miles to get to school.”
Nolan is one of the lucky students who has a car, but because many students do not, KSU will actually lose current students. It might actually be more convenient for some to transfer to other universities that offer housing options, better fitting for their needs.
Not to mention, many students are disgusted by the way they were notified of their eviction. A simple email read that they would have to vacate at the end of the school year. Some students on Facebook have claimed they have lived there for over three years, and the Place has become their home.
I, myself do not live in KSU Place, but I can only imagine the disdain of those who are being forced out of their homes. It is times like these where the ethics of the university are really taken into question.
Is the idea of a commuter campus really worse than losing students? The main problem lies within the admissions process. The university should not be accepting more students than it can currently handle, and we’ve already learned this from the lack of parking provided this year.
While, there are many advantages to freshmen living at school for their first year, it should be noted that the underclassmen are not the only ones who benefit. My advice is this: lower the acceptance rate and prepare to build an extra parking deck, because the amount of students applying to KSU will not be declining any time soon.
