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Hotels are home for some students
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer
Nearly 200 UB students unpacked their bags in hotel rooms this semester as the university supplies alternative housing in response to high acceptance rates and surprising numbers of on-campus housing applications.
Dennis Black, vice president for student affairs, said the decision to house students in hotels came after about 600 more student housing applications were received for this semester than for fall 2005.
"Improved retention, increased enrollment and greater satisfaction with campus living have combined to create a difficult housing situation at UB," Black said.
He also noted that new fire codes prohibiting bunk and loft beds have eliminated a means to increase space on campus that had been used in the past.
An estimated 180 students have been housed in 145 single or double rooms in Boulevard Inn & Suites on Main Street near South Campus and in the Comfort Inn and Hampton Inn on Flint Road near North Campus.
"Students in hotels will have access to campus shuttle service and live-in UB staff," said Black. "UB police are coordinating security with local police."
The students benefit from all the amenities of the residence halls—Internet access, lounge spaces and desk and mail services—as well as such hotel services as air conditioning, linen exchange and free breakfast.
Transfer students who sent in their housing deposits during the last three weeks in April received the hotel option. Black said all first-time, full-time new students who met the national housing application deadline on May 1—as well as transfer students who applied for housing prior to April 5—were assigned on-campus housing.
On-campus and hotel housing were unavailable to most students on UB's "wait list" who were admitted for the fall semester. Although "wait list" students number close to 400, Black noted that most sought alternative off-campus housing when informed of the situation.
This is not the first time UB has used hotels to offset an overflow of on-campus housing applications. Students were housed in two hotels in fall 2002 and one hotel in fall 2003. "The last time we used hotels," said Black, "we were able to get many of the assigned students on campus by October." He said students in the hotels will be offered first crack at on-campus housing as it becomes available.
A number of students who roomed in hotels in fall 2003 came to prefer the arrangement, thanks to the special hotel amenities, as well as the close friendships that formed in their "hall." Black said those who wish to remain will be given the option to close out the fall semester in the hotels.
All students are expected to be living on campus no later than the start of spring semester in January.
Efforts also were made to increase space on campus, said Black. Extra beds were moved into existing residence halls and caps were set on spaces allotted to students in the honors, international and athletics programs. Additional fire safety systems also were installed in a small residence hall on South Campus to keep those rooms "online," he said.
In addition, several incentives were offered to students to encourage them to pursue alternatives to on-campus housing. Black said students who chose to cancel their housing applications received $500 in Campus Cash, in addition to the return of their $200 non-refundable deposit. Local students who agreed to live at home this semester were offered one free semester of future housing.
"We also upgraded the student-run, off-campus housing service and provided off-campus housing information to students upon request," said Black.
The Office of Student Affairs remained in contact with those families still unsatisfied with their students' housing options and organized a coffee meeting with them the morning students began to arrive to ease last-minute concerns. UB staffers were on site at the hotels to supervise the check-in process.
Black noted the causes of the housing situation—increases in student applications, acceptances, retention and satisfaction with campus life—are all positive developments for UB.
"We are working with others on campus to develop new policies for fall 2007 to respond to this situation in the future based on our expected increased demand and fixed bed spaces," he said.