Increased enrollment causes housing dilemma at Ole Miss

Two of Crosby's residents pack up remaining items from their dorm rooms as summer quickly approaches. 

Cheering “Hotty Toddy,” wearing red and blue on game days and walking the green grass of the Grove are just a few reasons the projected number of incoming freshmen is expected to soar during the 2014-2015 academic year.  Some upperclassmen, however, might not be ready to jump on the welcome wagon just yet. 

While a majority of student housing was previously open to upperclassmen, the increased enrollment of freshmen has caused frenzy in the housing department.  Next year, only the Luckyday Residential College and the Residential College South will offer housing on campus for upperclassmen.  Crosby, a traditional dorm that held upperclassmen this year, will only house freshmen.  

I sat down with Kaylynn Gaines, a Community Assistant in Crosby Hall, to find out how much housing workers think the increased enrollment will affect upperclassmen.

Crosby residents were told during the second semester that they would not be able to live in Crosby next year, which caused concern for some residents.  Many sororities on campus require their members to live together for a certain number of years.  This was a problem for Elizabeth Hathorne and her Delta Gamma sister, Kristen Tucker.  Both thought they would be able to live together on a “sorority hall” in Crosby next year.   

Just as Ole Miss requires early applications for housing, Oxford apartment owners expect tenants to sign early leases.  Many students were able to make plans for next year’s housing during this past year's fall semester.  The housing department’s lack of consideration has caused Crosby residents to scramble to find apartments to match their budgets.  

According to Gaines, the housing department tried to make the move as easy as possible for the students. 

All upperclassmen do not see this effort by the housing department.  Moving off campus will not only impact them financially but also socially.  The amount of time spent waiting on long bus routes, finding a parking spot or walking from their apartments could be spent on campus involvement.   

“It’s a lot more inconvenient because I’m going to have to sit around campus waiting for my meetings now and take the buses,” says Tucker.

While the Ole Miss housing department claims to have made the transition easier for students, many students are still upset with how the situation was handled.

“I was paying for an experience on campus, not just the place. I was looking forward to getting to know people and now I can’t.  I’m more mad than anything about how it was handled,” says Hathorne.

Sources: Kristen Tucker: kbtucker@go.olemiss.edu
Elizabeth Hathorne: elhathor@go.olemiss.edu
Kaylynn Gaines:  kdgaines@go.olemiss.edu