As Wofford again welcomes a historically large class of incoming freshmen, returning students cannot help but wonder what this will mean for some of the campus’s arising issues directly related to an increasing student population. One issue that remains fresh in the minds of students, especially during move-in weekend, is the sparsity of on-campus housing.
When the housing portal initially opened for returning students last spring, some students were unable to get their preferred housing due to the system used.
As discussed in “Wofford’s changing housing process,” the system remains ever-changing, often poorly affecting students who want on-campus housing. Those who were unable to get housing on campus were suggested to find off-campus housing at their own expense.
“In June, they told me they wouldn’t have room for me on campus,” said Lizzie Beard ‘25, “[Wofford Residence Life] told me to search for off-campus housing.”
Beard is now living off-campus with no financial support from Wofford College.
In addition to a financial burden, students transitioning to off-campus living with such short notice are faced with little advice or communication with the school. This has led students like Beard into rushed housing arrangements and last-minute plans for their upcoming semester.
Beard waited a month for a response from Residence Life, only to be notified 2 months prior to move-in that Wofford would not be able to provide her housing for the Fall 2023 semester. The lack of communication not only challenges where you live but who you live with.
Similarly, another student from the class of 2025, who had complications with their plans to go abroad for Fall 2023, contacted Wofford about on-campus housing. However, the college responded by telling this student that their only opportunity to live on campus would be as an RA for the sizable freshman class in Marsh Hall.
“I was excited that I had an opportunity to have housing, but I was kind of rushed and stressed out,” said this student, “I had to move in that following Sunday to do RA training, and I really had no idea what I was getting into.”
The student’s initial plan was to live at home if not offered housing for the fall semester, though they were worried that this unfamiliar adjustment would affect their ability to socialize with friends and do activities.
Though the student is unexpectedly grateful for their RA position, they still maintain that it would not be something they would have chosen to do unless out of necessity.
As a campus that prides itself on its closeness, the idea of being physically far from campus life seems undesirable for many students, especially the upperclassmen who have become accustomed to on-campus living in the past.
As the new year begins, 56 more students have been given on-campus housing than the past fall according to Wofford’s Director of Residence Life, Kendra Ivins. Previously unutilized single and triple rooms were opened up this fall in order to house the growing number of students.
“The college makes every effort to accommodate returning students who follow established guidelines,” said Ivins, “Campus housing, however, may be limited.”
Ivins also said Residence Life will continue to provide support for those who are off-campus, despite the limited housing.
While seniors who complete the housing applications on time as a group are prioritized in the village, the number of juniors in the village is still increasing. This is in part due to the unpredictable effects of an increasing student population, leaving other seniors displaced.
