As a last semester senior at Oklahoma Christian University I have learned to live under all the university policies whether I like it or not. While I understand the reasoning behind most policies, the policies regarding off-campus living have always left me disappointed and shocked.
It makes no sense for a 22-year-old to not be allowed to live off-campus. I’m about to graduate college, but I cannot choose where I get to live because of credit hours. Because the 124-hour minimum is typically unachievable to anyone besides graduating seniors, the school makes the off-campus living requirements extremely unlikely for full time students.
Not to say I hate the apartments; but do I know I could get a nicer apartment for cheaper off-campus? Yes, I do. Tuition rates are expensive enough. Pile on the price of an apartment on campus and the price becomes considerably higher. It does not seem fair to force anyone into paying high prices for an okay, at best, campus apartment.
My single bedroom apartment in Phase 6 costs $3800 a semester. If I am going to spend around $720 a month for an apartment I should at least have an apartment I like. The campus apartments are riddled with issues. The fridge in my apartment came with mold in the freezer. Many of my friend’s apartments have keypad issues which make simply entering a challenge. I understand all apartments have problems, but the upkeep of the apartments as a whole is lacking. The prevalence of these issues lends students the right to find another place to live. If I was renting an off-campus apartment/house for $720 a month and had a problem with the conditions I could simply look for other places to live. At Oklahoma Christian I do not even have the option to do that. Students are expected to live with these issues.
Two-bedroom apartments in Edmond can be rented for as low as $545. Split among two people it would cost about $1,362 for a semester. A two bedroom in Phase 6 with two people cost $7,600 a semester. When you consider the typical room set-up in Phase 6 is four people in two rooms at the price of $3,200 per person, the potential savings for students is massive. Off-campus housing would help students save thousands.
I understand freshman and sophomores not being allowed to live off-campus, but upperclassmen deserve this right. One of the biggest lessons learned in college is living independently. For the most part our lives are our own by the time we are upperclassmen. The apartments on campus do no favors to teach independence. Having someone come into your apartment to make sure it is clean is childish. My own mother stopped doing “room checks” on me when I was in high school. Having an apartment/house you are solely responsible for fosters responsibility as a whole. Being treated like a child until you graduate college helps you in no way.
I understand no school policy is perfect; there are always going to be flaws. But changing the off-campus policy could save students thousands and offer them the chance to decide where they want to live. The bar should not be set where almost no one can achieve it. The right to off-campus housing should be given to upperclassmen. If we are expected to act like adults we should be treated as such.
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