University of Maryland College Park - Terrapin / Reveille Yearbook (College Park, MD)

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u ' mr illl Hill Housing for Every Type Dan Kovac, Reed Gilbert, Bruce Butrum Reed Gilbert 22 Housing

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College Park Living When students decide to go to col- lege, they are faced with many choices. They nnust decide their major, their classes, and, of course, their liv- ing arrangements. Several alternatives are available to those wishing to attend the University of f 1aryland. One of the more popular choices is that of on-campus housing. Thirty-five traditional, or dormitory style halls, are situated across the 1,300 acre campus at College Park. The residence halls are home during the academic year for about 8,100 students, providing them with safe, clean accommodations and conve- nient access to faculty offices as well as the academic, cultural, social and recreational resources of the campus. Newer high-rise residence halls dominate the north end of campus, where the athletic arenas and most recreational resources are located. As many as 550 students live in each of the high-rise halls. Older, Georgian, colonial-style halls are located on the campus ' south side, close to the libraries and the academic core of the campus. These halls are smaller, not more than three or four stories high, and house as few as 35 and as many as 300 students. Apartment units for four or six residents are located at Leonardtown, a few minutes walk from the center of campus. Apartments are reserved for juniors and seniors, many of whom wait two or more semesters on the very long waiting list. The Leonard town apartments are fully equipped with kitchens, air conditioning and private baths. No student may be required to live on campus. However, once accom- modated, a student may remain in the residence halls throughout his or her undergraduate career. Residence halls are reserved for single, full-time undergraduates, tvlost of those rooms available each year are reserved by returning upperclassmen. The number of entering students who apply for on- campus housing annually exceeds the approximately 3,000 spaces which re- main available in the dormitories. This forces many to either find alternative off-campus housing or live at home. Every year, a large number of University of Maryland students move into off-campus housing facilities, usually by choice. Of the 24,000 students who live off-campus, up to 14.000 live in some type of rental housing in the College Park area. The reasons for moving into rental housing units are as varied as the students themselves. I guess the biggest reason for mov- ing was the lack of space, stated sophomore Rochelle Frank. I was sick of living in only one room all the time and I couldn ' t deal with the lack of privacy anymore. I loved living on cam- pus, but it was time for a change and apartment life is great. Ivlany other students seek the responsibility, privacy and convenience of their own apartments or houses. Within the communities surrounding the University, a variety of housing op- tions are available, including apart- ments, houses and rooms rented in private homes. Housing is usually located within a three to five mile radius of the campus, often in the com- munities of Adelphi, Beltsville, Greenbelt, Langley Park and Takoma Park. Fortunately, the Metrobus and Metrorail services provide commuters with alternative means of travel to the campus each day. fylany, however, still opt to drive their own cars. Some students have joined the Greek system, allowing them to live on Frat Row and the surrounding area. After the fraternity and sorority houses have been filled with members, the re- maining rooms are rented out to students for a lower price than the rooms which the University offers. However, fraternity or sorority members prefer these rooms go to future brothers or sisters. The Universi- ty owns approximately 21 of the total 42 houses in the Greek system. Ap- proximately 1,200 residents chose the Greek housing alternative each year. And there are several students who choose to live at home while attending school at College Park. Some of these students reside at home simply because they are ineligible for on- campus housing. However, there are those commuters who opt to live at home in order to avoid the fairly high costs of both on-campus and off- campus living. The choices of housing options are many and varied. The nnost difficult decision is choosing the best situation for each of us. Our tastes and values tend to change during our college years. Although we may begin living in a certain environment, such as a dor- mitory, we may seek alternative ar- rangements, such as an apartment, during the latter stage of our college career. — Gene Schrivener Jack Jeney Housing 21

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Alternatives of Individual MikeGately Scott Noyes, Chip Hayhurst, Fred Stucker, Jerome Barber, Santo Bernardo, Bob Super, Hal Hecht Housing 23