Mississippi State University - Reveille Yearbook (Starkville, MS)

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Off-Campus Living One Person ' s Ceiling Another Person ' s Floor 28

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It ' s four hours before dawn on the campus of Missis- sippi State University. The click of footsteps pierces the stillness. Past the darkened library, its outstretched arms closed, a solitary light burns in the window of a residence hall. The bell atop the Chapel of Memories tolls the hour. Only the statue of Stephen D. Lee watches as one crosses the drill field and gets into a car. Driving down an almost deserted Highway Twelve, he passes what looks like a futuristic ghost town. However, dark or dimly lit fast food establishments will transform in time for breakfast or lunch into bustling hubs of activ- ity, complete with drive-thru windows for the student who must eat on the run. Danver ' s, Popeye ' s, Captain D ' s, Wendy ' s, slumbering now, will awaken with the new day. Starkville, Mississippi seems to be just another sleepy Southern town. In the words of an old adage, Never judge a book by its cover! In other parts of this college town, things are far from asleep! In an apartment in the southwest corner of Starkville, the entire complex rocks. It ' s the last day of mid-term exams; the stereo blasts, the kegs flow, and everyone parties! In another apartment, a different type of gathering is assembled. Five Pre-Med stu- dents burn the midnight oil in order to pass an Anatomy exam scheduled for 8:00 AM in the morning. The only drink consumed is black coffee — lots of it. Across town someone has the after midnight munchies. Instead of getting a chicken takeout or a sandwich from the vending machine in the residence hall, he warms up a bowl of homemade gumbo in his apartment. Every new year in Starkville brings with it new apart- ment complexes, new condominiums, and larger trailer parks. Starkville is a landlord ' s paradise and increasing numbers of students are living off-campus each year. Why do so many students decide to reside off-campus? A major reason is the privacy that is provided by an apartment or trailer. More personal freedom and the feeling that one is truly on his own are other factors. Having a kitchen, a den, and a private bath give students living in apartments or trailers more of a feeling of home than a residence hall. Finally, with on-campus housing reaching capacity every year, few students have no other alternative but to live off-campus. This year a great aid to those students choosing to live off-campus was offered by the Student Association. Under the direction of SA President Laurie Rosenbaum, a Utility Deposit Plan was offered to the first one hundred students to apply for the aid. The plan was designed to relieve the apartment-renting student of the extra econom- ical burden of paying a utility deposit before receiving water and electrical services from Starkville Electric Com- pany. Students were allowed to defer the one hundred dollar utility deposit by paying a fee of five dollars to the Student Association. According to Rosenbaum, the pro- gram may be expanded to include more students in years to come, depending on its success this year. 30