Demand for on-campus housing increases at UNA

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA - Sibul Moore spent most of her Saturday helping her daughter, Monica, a freshman at the University of North Alabama, get settled into her dorm room.

She's known all summer - or for the past 18 years for that matter - that moving day was coming, but nothing could have prepared her for Saturday's anxieties.

Moore, who was feeling the stress of having "moved everything Monica owns from our home in Pinson," said she's glad she doesn't have to worry too much about her daughter's safety at school, two hours away from her family.

"I knew from the beginning she would live in the dorm as opposed to an apartment because of the safety factor," Sibul Moore said. "There's supervision in the residence halls and always people around and safety's a big thing for me. She's never been away from home for any extended period of time, and I really wanted the peace of mind in knowing she'd be safe. Her (dorm) room is a lot smaller than she's used to, but she'll adjust."

The Moores are part of a growing trend at college and university campuses across the country. As a result of rising off-campus costs combined with increasingly ritzier residence hall choices and state-of-the-art monitoring for safety, living on campus has become a popular option among students from freshmen to seniors.

At the state's largest schools, Auburn University and the University of Alabama, the demand for housing is great. Already, a massive four-year building project is under way at both schools, with plans for a new residence hall being constructed each year through 2010.

Regional institutions have also been affected by the volume of students in search of on-campus housing.

At UNA, it's a situation that's created a 95 percent occupancy rate in the eight dorms on campus, which are Rivers and Rice halls; the two largest, Lafayette and LaGrange halls; Covington; Hawthorne; and the twin Appleby East and West

facilities.

"It's a good problem to have," said Audrey Mitchell, director of housing at UNA. "In 2007, it was tight, but we were able to get everyone satisfied with a room. This year is the first time we've had to have a waiting list" for the approximately 1,400 beds UNA has to offer.

Throughout the course of the past decade, UNA's residence life program has undergone massive changes. From the construction of four new, modern dorms, which are open 12 months of the year, to the recent renovation project at LaGrange Hall, the suites offered by the university have become coveted among the student population.

Josh Cameron, a freshman from Guntersville, said living anywhere but on campus was never an option for him.

"I just knew I'd be in a dorm," he said, jokingly adding that his mother, Joanie, never really gave him an option. "I'm not expecting it to be bad at all."

UNA has been faced with the growing need to house more students. For six consecutive years, the university has set records with its fall enrollment rates, which means that more students are in need of a place to live as they complete their degrees. For the fall 2007 semester, UNA topped 7,000 for the first time, and school officials expect to top that figure again this year.

"I'm excited people want to live on campus," said Kevin Jacques, UNA's director of residence life. "It's not only convenient but there's a greater chance for success. When you live on campus, you have higher grades, you have a greater chance of staying at UNA and your level of satisfaction with the university is greater."

There's no question being on campus is more convenient, especially for early morning classes.

"Professors don't care if you're in your pajamas," Jacques said. "They're just happy you're in class."

But being in proximity to the academic buildings hasn't mitigated the problems the university has had with parking. Despite the addition of a parking deck several years ago and the creation of a pedestrian friendly campus, administrators say parking remains a major issue.

David Shields, vice president for student engagement, said UNA is looking to expand its shuttle bus system. There are plans to reactivate the parking committee to help reduce the number of cars that come onto campus and encourage residents to leave their automobiles parked.

As living costs continue to rise, however, is on-campus housing a better deal?

Depending on the type of room a student chooses, the cost to live on campus is anywhere from around $250 to $550 per month, comparable to rent rates at many local apartments. The trade-off comes with amenities, Jacques said. Rates are paid on a per-semester basis.

Apartments offer students the chance to bring a pet or have a full kitchen and, perhaps, a first taste of freedom. Dorm living means not having to pay extra for things like cable, phone, utilities and a wireless Internet connection.

"Students are still subject to university rules, which means no smoking or alcohol on the floors, but it's cheaper, too," Jacques said. "And we are starting to hear from a few parents who have told us this is a way to save money on their student's education."

It's too soon to tell if UNA will need to construct even more residence halls to meet demand, but Shields said it could be an option if the growth persists.

"We're looking at the next step, should that be renovating and making better what we have or investing our money in a new facility," he said.

"We're still in the preliminary stages."

Michelle Rupe Eubanks can be reached at 740-5745 or michelle.eubanks@TimesDaily.com.

Lisa Singleton-Rickman can be reached at 740-5735 or lisa.singleton-rickman@TimesDaily.com.