A petition for student’s rights to live off campus has started to work its way around the University. The petition was started on a website called Change.org and was written by Ashland University sophomore Denzel Palmer.

The current resident policy that is in place right now states that, “All full-time students are, therefore, required to live in university housing unless other pressing reasons demand an exception to this policy.”

These exceptions include if you are living with a parent or guardian, if you commute within 35 miles of the main campus of Ashland University, if you are 22 years of age or older, prior to September 1 for that academic year, If you are married, divorced, or widowed (documentation required), served and honorably discharged from the Armed Forces (documentation required), Baccalaureate degree from an accredited four- year college or university (documentation required), and additional consideration by the committee may be give to persons who have been convicted of serious crime or served prison sentence.

The petition has only been open for two weeks and has gotten 31 signatures and Palmer’s goal is to get five hundred signatures, which is about a little over half of the undergraduates here at Ashland University.

The deadline is Jan. 2014 and he hopes it will be plenty of time to reach his goal.

“I’m trying to get the majority of the undergraduates to step up and sign their signature and change the policy to live off campus”, said Palmer.

In order to make sure that as many people see his petition as possible Palmer has been using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail. Palmer has even sent his petition to Ohio State Representative, State Senator Larry Obhof and Representative David Hall.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes,” said Palmer.

“I’m trying to get everyone who could have a say in the situation involved, because I think Ashland needs to change the way people feel about being on campus,” said Palmer.

Most college campuses allow their students to live off campus when they reach their sophomore year.

At Ashland you are not allowed to live off campus unless you are twenty two, so most students will never be able to live off campus unless they stay here for an untraditional five years instead of the traditional four years.

Palmer’s goal for this petition is that he is hoping that they lower the age requirement for living off campus by a year or two or that they increase the commuting miles.

“ I will never have the opportunity to live off campus if this policy stays the way it is,” saidPalmer.

Some of the signers of the petition have signed and complained about how expensive it is to live on campus.

“I signed the petition because I’m old enough to vote and I’m almost twenty-one I’m an adult I think I’m old enough to decide were I want to live,“ said junior Chris Sherer.

Palmer plans to have petition parties and go to school events to advertise his petition. Many people are going to sign this they just have to know about it says Palmer.

At the age of eighteen you are considered an adult you can vote and even go to war and at the age of twenty-one you are allowed to drink. Nevertheless here at Ashland you are an adult but still have to live in a dorm and sometimes even among freshman with a feeling of adolescence.

“The Ashland experience could be better if more people were allowed to live of campus if this policy were changed,” said Palmer

The University has offered a resolution that is in discussion. They are discussing of maybe lowering the age to twenty-one that could maybe happen in the next four years.

Palmer said he is just trying to speed up the process.

The university has been very nice and helpful with the petition Catherine Geletka the director of Residents Life has already e-mailed and asked to meet with Palmer and set up and individual meeting about the issue.

“This petition is starting to gain traction all around campus, Its going to take some time but its going as expected,” says Palmer.

Visit www.change.org/Change the policy to live off campus or talk to Denzel Palmer for more information.