Last week, more on-campus students than ever before moved in to be greeted by not one, but two roommates.
Binghamton University’s growing popularity over the last few years has led to an influx of applications ‘ over 25,000 received last spring ‘ as well as an increase in the size of the incoming freshman class. As a result of these increases, there are more freshmen triples on campus than ever before.
‘All colleges and universities in the nation accept more students than they can accommodate,’ explained Grace Hoefner, the senior assistant director for Residential Life. ‘The number of students who actually decide to enroll at BU can then create a need to use triples.’
But this year, freshmen triples are located all across campus in four out of the five main residential communities: Dickinson Community, Newing College, College-in-the-Woods and Mountainview College.
On Aug. 20, just days before students moved in, there were 135 freshmen triples (405 students). That number dropped to 94 triples (272 students) by Monday, Sept. 3.
According to Hoefner, should students currently living in triples accept the offer to move into empty spaces in doubles available across campus, the amount of triples could possibly drop to around 45 (135 students).
Because of the amount of returning and incoming students who, for one reason or another end up dropping out of housing, most of these rooms have had the possibility of being de-tripled in past years.
Hoefner noted that Residential Life typically has the ability to de-triple 100 rooms and that anything over that amount cannot be guaranteed ‘ in part because so many students choose to return to on-campus housing at BU each year.
According to Hoefner, the return rate at BU is not only high, but is much higher than the national average. The growing size of the yearly incoming class is considered to be a major factor in the amount of triples assigned each year.
‘More sophomores, juniors and seniors have chosen to stay on campus rather than move off campus,’ she explained.
Approximately 60 percent of students, she said, choose to stay on campus each year.
While the thought of sharing a room with one person, let alone two, might scare some freshmen, it doesn’t phase Alex Tafet, a freshman English major living in one of the newly converted triples in Mountainview’s Hunter Hall. He enjoys his triple, Tafet said, and would not necessarily make the jump to a double.
‘Yes, the [Mountainview] suites are nicer, couch and chairs included,’ Tafet explained as he noted his only complaint was a lack of furniture. ‘But the triple is room enough.’