Additional on-campus housing for graduate students a step in the right direction
The board of trustees’ approval of plans for on-campus housing for graduate students Thursday was an encouraging development and a step in the right direction.
The shortage of on-campus housing for non-traditional students could see a slight reprieve, as CMU is looking to build an approximately 100-unit building on North Campus, which could house College of Medicine students when the first class of students arrives in 2012.
On-campus housing has been a problem for years, as the Washington Apartments continue to be torn down for campus expansion. While more housing will be needed on campus in general, adding more graduate student housing will be important as we start these new graduate programs.
As nothing has been formally proposed, there is no telling what the price of this project will be or where it will be. It was suggested the building may go on top of lot 8 near the Carlin Alumni House.
Although the decision to create the College of Medicine is still questioned by many, including this publication, the addition of more graduate student housing, aimed particularly at students going into this college, proves the university is at least following through. This proves they are dedicated to the project and understand the repercussions that bringing an influx of new students will have on this campus.
However, just adding more housing is not a cure-all. The other on-campus housing, such as Kewadin Village and Washington Court Apartments, need to be renovated farther to make those attractive alternatives to an off-campus apartment.
It is not enough for the university to build new on-campus housing, for graduate students or otherwise. The university needs to make a case for why students should live there and pay that rent, as opposed to one of the many alternatives elsewhere in Mount Pleasant.
Money should be split in a way that not only makes these new apartments attractive to potential residents, but also does the same for what is already on campus. Putting new furniture in the living room full of broken, torn-up couches does not fix the problems already there.
