Students’ temporary lounge housing may last until next semester

This semester began with a total of 259 students in makeshift housing – 184 living in residence hall lounges and 75 living with resident assistants.

Three weeks after moving in, 168 students are still coping with living in temporary study lounge housing.

At this time, Residence Services expects some students to remain in the lounges for the rest of the fall semester, but that it shouldn’t carry over to Spring 2010.

“Based on our historical occupancy patterns, all students will have permanent assignments at the start of the 2010 spring semester,” said Betsy Joseph, director of Residence Services, in an e-mail interview.

Residence Services was able to reassign all students living with an RA to a permanent room as of Monday, but the issue of relocating students in lounge space remains.

It’s become a waiting game to move students out of the temporary rooms.

“Every semester we have students who start the semester living in university housing and for a variety of reasons, need to either withdraw from the university or request a housing contract release,” Joseph said. “As these situations occur, we are moving students from the overflow accommodations into a permanent assignment.”

The adjustment hasn’t been easy for freshman merchandising major Jennifer Spanos. Currently living in Clark Hall’s second floor lounge, Spanos said she keeps half her possessions packed up, anxiously awaiting a permanent assignment.

“I hate it,” Spanos said, repeating the statement a few more times. “I think because there are four people living together, there are more awkward situations.”

Spanos’s mother, Theresa Spanos, said she finds the situation unfortunate.

“The room is not conducive for studying,” Spanos’s mother said.

She said she hopes her daughter’s situation can be adjusted soon.

“I’d be highly upset if it were permanent,” she said. “We were assured by Destination Kent State that it was only temporary.”

Ganson Pollock, freshman sports administration major, shares the third floor lounge in Verder Hall with three other students.

Pollock said it hasn’t been hard for him to make the adjustment, as he’s been in boarding schools most of his life, and his study lounge pad comes with more space than he’s used to. He did admit that the accommodation does come with a few downsides.

“The cons are more glaring,” he said. “There’s a restriction of personal space and we don’t have closets to hang clothes up.”

These are his only complaints though. Pollock has nothing negative to say about any of his roommates.

“I’m not going to lie,” Pollock said, “I’d prefer to live here all year.”

Contact room and board reporter Kyle McDonald at [email protected].