More freshmen at Binghamton University are living in temporary triples and converted lounges than ever before — and although these living situations are said to be temporary, some may last through the beginning of the spring semester.

That’s according to a “Frequently Asked Questions” guide from Residential Life, which aims to explain this semester’s housing shortage.

A temporary triple is a standard double room that has been tripled by adding an extra bed and dresser. Students can request an additional desk and chair if space is available. A converted lounge, which can hold between four and six residents, is set up with a bed, desk and wardrobe for each student, according to the packet.

“We currently have 290 triple rooms, and 20 students are still in lounges,” said Suzanne Howell, interim director for Residential Life. “We expect the lounges to be resolved soon.”

The number has jumped dramatically from last year at this time, when there were between 100 and 150 triple rooms.

Due to spacing issues within the room, living in a temporary triple can be somewhat overwhelming, according to one tripled student.

“It’s OK, the three of us have no problems together,” said Ruigang Zhang, a freshman living in a temporary triple in Chenango Hall in Newing College. “We only have two desks and two closets, but we share them. It does get crowded.”

Residential Life has seen an increase in the demand for on-campus housing this year and accredits the current on-campus housing shortage to a number of causes.

“A very high percentage of returning students have chosen to stay on campus rather than move off campus … more newly admitted students are choosing to enroll at Binghamton than other schools they applied to; and … in general, the downturn in the economy is causing families to consider public higher education rather than more expensive, private higher education,” the ResLife guide explains.

The informational packet was sent to incoming freshmen over the summer to give them a heads-up as to the living situations they could expect to find on campus.

However, there are pricing benefits that come with being placed in a temporary triple or lounge.

“A credit will be issued based on the length of time the student has resided in a temporary lounge or tripled room,” the packet reads. “This credit results in a reduction of the student’s charge.” Students assigned to these temporary housing arrangements will be initially billed for a standard double room, before the credits are processed.

Students living in converted lounges will be given first priority to move into a standard room as soon as no-shows and late housing cancellations are processed. Although residents are often eager to move out of the lounges, some are enjoying the extra room and the multiple roommates.

Three freshmen, Amanda Corrao, Kaila Raybuck and Janki Patel, are living in a converted study lounge in Chenango Hall, but say they would choose to stay there if given the option. They feel they get to meet more people by having more than one roommate, and there is much more extra space than the standard double offers.

Five girls share this lounge room, each with her own bed, desk and wardrobe, as well as couches and chairs which were added to the extra space in the room. They feel that they lucked out in getting to live in the lounge as opposed to being put into a triple.

A special “Welcome to Binghamton” event will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. for students in the temporary triples and lounges, according to Howell. Educational information, fun activities and light refreshments will be available.