The fall semester is seeing the campus housing crunch worsen, as over 50 freshman are living in expanded housing.

Photograph by Anthony Bauer
Freshman Morrow Hall residents Jacob Meer, left, and Bryan Minan, back, host friends freshman Mary Sowinski, right, and sophomore Jordan Speicher in their expanded housing lounge room.

UW-Platteville’s housing capacity is 2,702 students, with room from an additional 175 students in their expanded housing lounges. When the academic semester started, 82 incoming freshman were assigned to the expanded housing. Due to the number of students who have dropped out or never showed up, that number is down to 51. Those 51 students receive an 11 percent reduction on their housing expense due to the unconventional living arrangements.

Rhonda Viney, director of student housing, said the lounges are furnished with all the amenities of the typical dorm room, housing four roommates and extra space. Viney says she stands by the idea that expanded housing works, partially because there are less students in the housing office begging to switch roommates than those in traditional double-occupancy room. Viney said the only people who usually have an issue with the expanded housing are the students’ parents.

UW-P has had expanded housing in 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2009. The expanded housing is a result of many applicants and those who turn in their housing later rather than sooner. Students are notified in the summer that they are living in expanded housing in the summer with no exact lounge assignment. Resident assistants are prepared during the summer on how to handle having a live-in lounge on their wing. At the end of first semester, those students living in the expanded housing will be placed in permanent residence hall rooms that have opened up.

“[Expanded housing] is determined every year by the number of students who apply. We do not know if we will allow sophomores to move off campus next year, it all depends on the numbers,” said Viney. There will be no new residence halls built on campus in the immediate future, but Platteville’s housing sector will be able to absorb those students who want to move off campus,” Viney said. “Landlords in Platteville have actually had to step up and improve the housing they offer because students don’t want to live in dirty conditions.”