At the start of this spring semester, Res Life released an unprecedented announcement. It indicated that “returning students who are not required to live on campus will not have access to the housing application.”
This recent change is a by-product of the highest freshman enrollment rate Colorado Mesa University (CMU) has ever seen. Longer lines, crowded dorms and decreased parking spots have plagued campus because of this growth.
Formerly, all students regardless of classification, were able to complete and submit the housing application. Following that announcement, juniors and seniors must seek alternative housing off campus. This fostered tension between newer lowerclassmen and upperclassmen.
Upperclassmen now lack access to the continuing student housing application, which opened at the end of February. The requirement for freshman and sophomore students to live on campus stands. However, moving off campus is not always a viable option for junior and senior students.
“I am desperate for [Res Life] to accept my application for financial stress. They have exemptions for disability [and] financial status. I don’t have any money [for housing],” explained continuing sophomore English major Aidan Leschen.
When beginning their CMU journey, Leschen believed they could finish their bachelor’s degree without much concern regarding their housing status. Students already experience pressure from academics each semester and housing instability can be detrimental to academic success.
“I just might not go here next year or finish – awesome,” added Leschen.
With a freshman retention rate of 80 percent and a graduation rate of 56 percent, prioritization and future consideration of upperclassmen’s needs is a growing concern.
Senior English major Tahirih Bochmann described the experience of her close friend that was displaced from Albers Hall because of the large freshman class last semester.
“In his case, he thought housing was guaranteed. For at least a month, he was occasionally sleeping on a friend’s couch. Otherwise, he was always sleeping out of his car,” said Bochmann
Res Life did make attempts to accommodate the large influx of incoming freshmen students through their fall 2024 Bridge Housing program.
Students assigned to Bridge Housing would live in a handful of locations off campus, such as the Residence Inn Hotel on Horizon Drive. The timeline of assignment was estimated to be three to six weeks.
Political science sophomore Sam Hartley was one of the students assigned to a hotel.
“I lived in the Residence Inn Hotel, which is out by the airport. I think it was two or three miles from campus, so the commute sucked. If you didn’t have a car, you would have to catch a bus that would leave once in the morning,” said Hartley.
With CMU President John Marshall’s announcement of new residence halls and dining locations in February, CMU is aiming to mitigate these issues.
In conjunction with the Res Life announcement, the question has become whether upperclassmen will have access to these housing options.
Due to the lack of clarity, students continue to experience detrimental impacts from the unexpectedly large freshman population. Upperclassmen, and sophomores transitioning to upperclassmen status, are seeking places to live off campus and grappling with what they see as competitive prospects.
“I have a bigger problem with the way CMU is handling the situation. It would have been nice to have had more than three months notice. Luckily, I was planning on leaving campus anyways,” expressed junior English major Jeremiah Nelson.
Bochmann described the hardship her friend faced when he was living out of his car. She said he failed out of most of his classes because of it.
“How are you supposed to balance your academics when you are living out of your car?” said Bochmann.
For upperclassmen with the means available, apartments and rentals are the next option. With CMU purchasing apartments in the surrounding area, securing affordable housing off campus is growing less realistic for the majority of students.
“[The] housing market is going to get way more competitive. It feels like a sad, cash grab move from CMU,” added Nelson.
Amidst housing concerns, overpopulation has significantly impacted parking. Most students living on campus own some type of vehicle.
Res Life instructed freshmen to leave their vehicles at home due to the parking lots’ capacity, even if some were living out of those vehicles, like Bochmann’s aforementioned peer.
With the housing selection for continuing freshman opening soon, upperclassmen received notification about their lack of access through email communication only.
The blame has fallen to a perceived lack of planning from both Admissions and Res Life.
“Why would they accept so many students without guaranteeing [Res Life] has housing available for everyone who needs to live on campus? You are setting up students for failure in actively graduating; you’re putting them in danger,” said Bochmann.
