It’s finally that time in the semester when students can decide where they would like to live on campus. There are plenty of options, and each of them offers unique features.

The first of places to live on campus are the Courtyards. There is one single room and two double rooms along with a small kitchen and living room space. The bedrooms happen to be the largest of all living spaces on campus, which is one reason why so many students prefer these to other options. One of the disadvantages of living in this area, though, is the longer walk to class. During the winter there’s less motivation and more of a want to drive instead.

“I lived in the Courtyards during my sophomore year and I liked how there was so much space and it still included a kitchen,” said Isaiahs Mena. “We could still cook and there was plenty of space compared to the average college dorm.”

The next stop on campus is Townhouses. More people are capable of living here as they hold seven people, and it is suggested larger groups live here to avoid separation. There are two double rooms and three single rooms. Although there is a large kitchen and living space, it should be taken into consideration that the rooms are extremely small. Given the space, it is recommended that students keep the amount of furniture and other necessities to a minimum.

“Townhouses are good place to live but there’s a long walk to any location on campus and not a lot of space in the bedrooms for really anything,” said Jenna Moehn. “It was nice but nothing compared to living in Naber my freshman year.”

In addition, the Duplexes are one of the closest housing locations on campus as they are located across from the Administration building. They include two double rooms, 1 single room, living room space, and a large kitchen and dining space. One Residence Assistant lives in each Duplex. The bedrooms are about average size, but double rooms may need to have the beds bunked for sufficient space to bring in other furniture.

The last option is Cedar Creek. They are across the street from Naber and offer a more secluded dorm experience. Each building has eight apartments total, and either have one double room and one single room or two double rooms. There are also some apartments that have just one double room. The Cedar Creek apartments feature the most realistic two-bedroom apartment layout. It comes with a decent sized kitchen and dining space with more than enough room to have a movie night in the living room, for example. RA’s walk the halls, but never enter the apartment without knocking or having a reason to. Cedar is only housing option that most resembles a typical apartment off campus. 

“I lived in Naber, Townhouses, and Cedar Creek during my two years of living on campus,” said Amber McCalmon. “Of all the places, I loved Cedar Creek the best because I had a single room and it felt like I was actually living in an apartment instead of a dorm.” 

Although students did enjoy living on campus, they also had some ideas for improvement or changes that should be made to the campus housing department. Some of the buildings on campus are becoming outdated and could use a few additions. “I think Naber should have an air conditioner put in because it always got hot in the fall,” said Mena. 

There are also some concerns about those who may not want to live on campus and are not allowed to pursue that. Students have to be approved to live off campus during their second year because it is a requirement. “Students should be able to live off-campus their second year at Marian if they want to,” said McCalmon. There are unforeseen circumstances that can arise and students should be given more leeway if a legitimate reason should come up. “I would change the restriction of having to live on campus for two years because sophomores should have the ability to live off-campus if they choose to do so,” said Moehn.  

Since there are kitchens in all of the housing options, students have suggested removing the meal plan. Instead of going to the Hornung Student center for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, student can cook in the comfort of their own place. “I would change the rule of being required to have a meal plan if you have a full kitchen,” said Tyler VanRossum. “It costs the students a lot more to have the smallest meal plan when in reality they really don’t need it.”  

Some important deadlines to remember:  

• March 27 – Room tours from 5 to 7 PM 
• March 31 – Last day to turn in room & board contracts 
• April 2 – Upperclassmen sign up from 5 to 8 PM 
• April 3 – First year sign up from 5 to 9 PM