Friday, August 15th, 2008

It looks like Drexel isn’t the only school that has housed students in lounges; Texas Tech, Indiana University and University of Arizona all have a history of temporarily housing overflow students in dorm lounges.

Overflow housing and placing students temporarily in lounges dates back to 2001 and 2002 at Texas Tech.  In 2002 they changed their housing policy to allow freshmen to live off campus, according to dailytoreador.com.

Drexel has not announced any changes in their housing policy.

“As a result of the housing woes, Housing and Hospitality Services are allowing new students to live off campus, which is a first for Tech,” Michael Shonrock, vice president of student affairs, told the dailytoreador.com.

In 2007 the dailytoreador.com reported that in late July and August temporary preparations were being made for temporary housing.

According to The Paper Trail blog from USA Today, Indiana University has housed freshmen students in lounges in 2006 and 2001 but was able to find regular dorm rooms for them within a month.

University of Arizona is also housing students in lounges. “One girl came in and said, ‘Hey, you took our study lounge,’ and we know that she was just kidding, but it does suck to know that we don’t have our own space,” said Kathryn Whiley in an article in The Wildcat Online.

Problems Whiley note about living in lounges include no closet space while living with three people, Whiley told The Daily Wildcat.

However, other schools including Seton Hill University will house upperclassmen students in a hotel due to a record number of freshmen accepting admission, Molly Robb Shimko, university spokeswoman, told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

According to a Triangle article from 2005, Drexel has previously housed students in lounge space and a hotel.

Readers following The Triangle on Twitter offered their thoughts on a Aug 14 blog report saying that RLO will house some students in the lounges of Myers, Kelly and Calhoun Halls.  So far, our readers aren’t bothered by it…

“It’s been done before, why not do it again?  The Kelly lounges are going to make a nice dorm room,” points out a reader with the Twitter name mchoun

That’s true - students have been housed in lounge space before.  Here is a 2005 Triangle article with more info

For another Twitter follower it was the late application that made the policy acceptable.  “Converted lounge space isn’t optimal; but in fairness, it only affects students who applied for housing after the deadline,” said Twitter user dmhallowell

The Triangle got a response from RLO Assistant Director Jennifer Calvert saying she would get back to us with more details.

What about the rest of you? Ever lived in lounge space? Let us know!

Walking by the DAC you may have noticed trees being torn down, but according to Drexel “for each tree removed during construction, a replacement tree will be planted on campus.”

In all, thirty new trees will be planted around the new Recreational Center once construction has ended. According to a mass email send to students, 45 trees are being planted at the new Drexel Park located at 32nd and Powelton that will open in September. The university is also adding “North Campus Mall” in the middle of the freshman dorms on Race Street between 33rd and 34th streets and plans to increase the number of trees and open green space.

After Drexel received a Green Rating of 98 on a 60-99 scale, can Drexel maintain its green commitment during all of this construction?

It may not be First Friday, but head down to Old City tonight to see the opening of F.U.E.L’s newest exhibit. The concept seems pretty interesting and donations will go toward funding for the artists.