Junne Park, Photo Editor
Housing at UR is not a problem for most students. Freshmen are usually babied and given the idea that the administration will push them along every step of the way. Sophomores are essentially invisible. Juniors are pushed to the outskirts of campus and seniors are often kicked out into the city of Rochester to fend for themselves.
With UR’s student body getting larger with each passing year, the question of what will become of housing must be addressed. The administration is making some changes on campus regarding this situation — the much-anticipated O’Brien Hall should account for 150 students.
Clearly, the addition of that new dorm will make a huge difference, considering that the student body is expected to double over the next several years from its current size of approximately 5,000 students.
In these crowded and desperate times, consider the following choices to ensure that you have a place to stay on campus.
Your first option is to move into an academic building. Hutchison Hall has many cozy labs complete with dangerous chemicals and dusty closets. Or, why not be early to your class and sleep in Hubbell Auditorium? Morey, Dewey and Bausch & Lomb all have lovely rooms waiting to be occupied as well.
Spending the night in these buildings is only logical since there is a decent chance you sleep in the classes you have in them anyway.
If that doesn’t sound too appealing, try the tunnels. The Bausch & Lomb tunnels are so warm that you won’t even need blankets in the middle of winter.
The library is a great place to set up camp if you don’t live there already. When I say set up camp, I mean it literally. Pitch a tent and spend your nights cuddling with books in the stacks. Rush Rhees Library comes with breath-taking views of the River Campus and gorgeous architectural detailing.
If you start getting lonely with just books, invite a friend. Even better, invite the ghost that roams the stacks at night.
Carlson Science and Engineering Library offers a bit more square footage for the room and board portion of your increasing tuition, as well as a more open floor plan.
If the libraries aren’t your scene, try Wilson Commons — it is infinitely spacious, near the heart of the campus and provides as much noise as the dorms near the Fraternity Quad do. Also, it has Starbucks. Need I say more?
For students who want a bit more character in their living space, there are many other options to choose from. Mount Hope Cemetery makes for a very quiet and organic living environment — rows of tombstones create ideal pathways for running around and frolicking in the circle of life.
The Medical Center is also an option, which comes with a modern design and food that won’t likely cause heart disease.
For those who are spiritual, the Interfaith Chapel would love to be your home. Not only can you sleep in the pews, but the stained glass will also inspire you to fill your life with color, as long as you don’t go outside to the gray weather.
So, for all of you who are scared about finding a place to live next semester, worry not. You might find your next habitat where you least expect it.
Panda is a member of the class of 2014.
