For many AU students, Ashland is a home away from home and according to Kim Lammers, the Director of Residence Life, students can expect a few changes in the newest housing guide that will be sent out by email in the next few days.

The housing guide was originally created last year in order to simplify residence life rules and guidelines for students. In the newest version there is a very clear section that lists exactly what has changed so students know what to look for.

One of the most notable changes is the change in age for commuter students. Currently, students are required to live off campus or with a parent until the age of 22, and only if they turn 22 by Sept. 1 of the school year. Next semester, the age to live off campus will remain 22 but the deadline has been pushed back one month to Oct. 1. So theoretically a student could start the semester at age 21 living off campus as long as their 22nd birthday falls on or before Oct. 1.

“Students had expressed some upset feelings about the age requirement and this allows a few more students to live off campus,” Lammers said. “We were very tight in housing last year so this will free up some more space and so it is making students happy and also makes sense for our campus.”

Lammers also explained that AU has a commitment to housing because residential living is a big part of creating the campus community and because of research that shows students have stronger connections to the university’s faculty and staff as well as stronger academic performances when living on campus.

While Lammers recognized the merits of living off campus and the life lessons it affords, she explained that many graduate students already have trouble finding off campus housing and that allowing large numbers of students to live off campus would change Ashland’s dynamic putting more stress on local law enforcement in areas that safety services would have covered with on-campus housing.

At the beginning of the fall semester, a few independent or non-Greek men were placed in fraternity housing which Lammers explained was not what that housing was designed for. 

In order to accommodate the university’s housing needs, Lammers said that some floors that have traditionally been female will be switched to male, and the university will be offering less buyouts. Instead of every floor in Kilhefner offered as rooms to buy out, only two floors will allow for that.

A change in the amount of buyouts will also affect some room reservations. For example, if a student living in Kilhefner is in a room that will no longer be available to buy out, they may not be able to reserve that same room as a room to buy out. 

In fact, for all rooms, reservations will only be available for students wishing to live in the exact same room with the exact same roommate.

The final change is the process of the point system, which determines which students are eligible for campus apartments. As in past years, students will be considered based on G.P.A., credit hours and conduct violations, but now a new timeline will be put into place for notifying students. Before creating the list of students who are eligible, students will be notified of their points.

In some cases, Lammers noted, students, especially transfer students, actually have more credit hours than is listed on their transcripts. These types of kinks can now be discussed and worked out ahead of time. This period of time will also allow students to discuss their points so that the process is more transparent and clear from the start.

The changes are a team effort with several different offices around campus coming together to help with projections based on historical data, retention rates, incoming goals from the admissions office, and a few other factors. However, these projections do not always tell the full story such as how many males will be living in the senior apartments versus females, which can make the process of figuring out how many buyouts can be offered and how many beds are actually needed a bit difficult.

Lammers explained that all of these changes have been made with a focus on making students happier and simplifying the housing process.

“We do a lot of assessment of student satisfaction, concerns, issues, [and] problems,” Lammers said. “Every year, we’re making slight modifications. My hope for that is that we’re making it easier on the students.”