Though new to fall 2010 freshmen, the fact that Southeastern has a dorm waiting list will come as no surprise to returning students. But why is there a demand?

There has been a steady increase in freshman enrollment over the last two years, according to statistics gathered by University Housing. Also, commuters face high gas prices and hectic travel time, influencing students to look at campus housing as an alternative.

Those who applied months in advance found available rooms and did not struggle over the phone, seeking results. Students who communicated too late were unable to hold a spot. Student living capacity at Southeastern has been increased from 2,293 to 2,365 since July.

“In order to create more space for the students who have requested housing, we have made additional space in Zachary Taylor, reduced the number of private rooms and offered more shared rooms,” said Director of University Housing KD Linkous.

Although this helps fight the demand, approximately 100 students are still on the waiting list. Also, after being asked about future openings Linkous responded, “We identified every spot before we opened for the fall that can be used and filled it. Anytime we have a vacancy pop up on campus, we are filling it.”

University Housing and its staff are in the beginning stages of combating the space problem, but in the meantime, consciousness of a possible increase in budget cuts must be maintained. The “what if” factor may follow any plan aimed at a solution.  

Although student morale towards campus living is low, Linkous inferred that he and his staff have not forgotten about the students on the waiting list.

“We work that list daily, and have been since July,” said Linkous.

Southeastern and colleges nation-wide have considered some extreme options, such as using old buildings and renting hotel space. These are just a few examples of the drastic measures taken in order to house a growing campus population.

“We didn’t have an old building we could open this year that has fixed standards for residency and the closest hotel is a mile away,” said Linkous.

The lack of dorm room space works hand-in-hand to affect the amount of parking available to dorm residents and commuters. Residential life students park in the overflow zones, resulting in fewer availability for commuters.

Some students have even considered off-campus housing. Rent is a fixed rate, but all of the amenities that follow can have a random dollar amount. Which is the better deal?

“We did a study and our study did show that we are maintaining below the average rent off-campus,” said Linkous. “We included electricity, cable, internet and etc.”