Students discuss pros, cons of both sides of housing debate

As a Tech student, trying to decide where to live is usually a painful chore and tricky lesson in negotiation.

With housing registration extended due to Tech's recent acquisition of the Georgia State University Olympic Village, students are once again considering where they will live for the upcoming 2007-2008 school year.

Thus emerges that perennial housing issue, the age-old battle between on-campus and off-campus housing. Which prevails?

For incoming freshmen, the choice between on- or off-campus housing may seem like a no-brainer. Still, deciding upon a place of residence may sometimes feel like spinning a big wheel of fortune-a game of chance that might just make or break one's first year free of the parental units. After all, there is no definitive guarantee of roommate compatibility, and once in, it is strangely difficult to get out.

For returning students, experience may play a little bit more of a role in the decision-making process. As memories of moldy rafters or the vacillating water temperatures of communal showers make their way to center stage, many students make their way off campus.

But then again, off-campus housing is not always what it seems. Indeed, often enough, even off-campus students are prone to relentless verbal discharges of discontent with their living situation.

Whether it be annoyance in regards to ungracious landladies, late rent payments, drunken hall-mates, the corrupt bureaucracy of cable service, stolen laundry or simply the combination of sordid weather and a long journey from home to school, both sides of the housing debate have their own pros and cons.

On-campus housing

The majority of Tech students have at some point in their academic career lived in one or more of the school's many traditional dormitories.

These shared habitats come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ranging from co-ed (by floor) buildings to those limited by gender, these traditional dormitories are single rooms shared by two, three or four persons. Kitchens and baths are communal by floor, and there are commons areas for residential use.

The pricing per semester for these dorms sits at around $2,100, which includes utilities.

"I think it's good to live on campus for your first couple of years at Tech. It gives you a chance to meet more people and worry more about school, while not bothering you about paying rent and utilities every month," said Sushi Sahoo, a fourth-year Management major, who is also a Peer Leader in Caldwell, a traditional dormitory building on West Campus.

Sahoo also said that many of the dorms at Tech, including Caldwell, have recently undergone or are currently undergoing renovations, so many of the hassles of old architecture that may have plagued earlier residents are no longer extant.

Likewise, on-campus residents for the most part do not have to worry about Atlanta traffic, parking permits or car upkeep.

"[Campus dorms] are quiet and convenient. You can get to places a lot quicker if you live on campus," said Jane Hua, a first-year Management major, who enjoys living on campus. She currently lives in Cloudman on East Campus with her roommate.

In addition to traditional dormitories, Tech also offers suite and apartment-style housing for students. Consideration for these rooms is dependent on academic standing and seniority.

The Fourth Street Apartments at Tech are considered to be suite-style dormitories, and they are apartments with shared baths and a community kitchen. These rooms cost approximately $2,834 per semester. For less money, other suite-style rooms are also available for $2,273 a semester, and they are generally shared rooms with semi-private baths.

Apartment-style dormitories at Tech consist of individual rooms, a shared kitchen, lounge and bath within each apartment. The price by semester for these rooms is generally around $3,042.

"Living on campus is convenient, because there are several academic facilities close by, like the library, tutoring, etc. Also, there's really good cable and internet, and the service staff is reliable in case any problems occur," Sahoo said.

"However, there are problems with privacy, since the rooms are very close to each other and are small. You also can't have pets, you have to follow the housing policies and you're constantly having to move in and out every academic year," Sahoo said.

Other negatives? "It's more expensive sometimes," Hua said.

Off-campus housing

After living on campus for a while, many Tech students decide to move off campus for reasons that include saving money, avoiding disorderly neighbors and for sheer comfort. In doing so, however, students may be sacrificing convenience and even safety.

Safety-wise, the M Street Apartments are at the top of the list. Replete with magnetized gates, call boxes and RFID cards to ensure security, the complex is located at the corner of Marietta Street and Northside Drive. In addition, police officers also reside in the apartment complex.

"What's best about M Street, I would have to say, is the fact that there are shops and stores in immediate walking distance. While I lived on-campus I had to walk 10 minutes just to get to the edge of campus. This was a problem whenever I had a jonesing for food," said Eric Faust, a third-year Electrical Engineering major, who currently shares an M Street apartment with Michael Gabriel, a third-year Management major.

Altogether, monthly rent for their apartment is $1,000, and utilities generally cost around $200 (this includes water, cable, internet, phone, electricity and gas). The total per month comes out to about $1,200, which they split at $600 per person per month.

"Until this year, I would have believed on-campus living to be better. Now, however, I really appreciate living in these apartments. We're so close to campus that most of the benefits of being on campus still apply, and I like how big the apartment is. There is so much room compared to any of the on-campus housing I've seen, and I like the added space, the relative quiet and the free parking," Gabriel said.

There are some downsides to off-campus living, though.

"You have to walk a bit further to get to class, which is particularly annoying when the weather's bad. If you forget something at home you can't just run back to the dorm and get it. And there's the need to provide your own furniture," Faust said.

Also, despite the short distances between some housing facilities and campus, residents still admit to feeling somewhat shut out from campus life. Not having that ready accessibility and physical proximity to Tech affects student organization involvement and general participation in campus social events.

Likewise, safety and security are still unresolved issues. While some apartment complexes directly on the outskirts of campus may be considered relatively secure, walking late at night, even right outside the apartment's gates, can still be dangerous.

"Safety is always a concern at night. Some random drunk driver pulled into the parking lot and destroyed four or five cars before leaving," said Alexander Lu, a third-year Economics major, who lives in an apartment off of 10th and State.

Whether or not students choose to remain on campus or to leave, the best way to find a suitable residence is to research it.

Still unsure about where to live? For starters, check out www.housing.gatech.edu, which has information about both on- and off-campus housing.