While tuition, apartment rental prices and overall cost of living are on the rise, many students are beginning to ask themselves just how much privacy is worth.
Some students, more specifically underclassmen seeking more secluded quarters, have turned to private residence halls as an alternative to public residence halls.
Current students stand divided on their willingness to pay a higher price for additional privacy, which in some buildings includes amenities such as a personal bathroom and kitchen.
“Why should room and board [of private dorms] be almost twice as much as in-state tuition?” said University of Wisconsin student Katie Nollin, who currently resides in the Lakeshore public dorm, Sullivan.
Steve Brown has been in the real estate business since the late 70s and currently owns the Statesider, Langdon and Highlander Private Residence Halls, with the new addition of the Towers and the Regent.
Brown says he prides himself on the diversity of buildings he offers.
Margaret Watson, director of the private residence halls, stresses that the relationship between public and private housing is “cooperative, not competitive.”
Despite attempts to coordinate housing efforts by scheduling regular face-to-face meetings between University housing and private residence hall directors, some concern has arisen among students and officials alike as to whether or not suite-style rooms are prohibiting maximum resident interaction.
Unlike the majority of the private residence halls accessible to UW students, Statesider has opted to eliminate the option of single-occupancy rooms in suites.
“We wanted to give the private feel, while increasing interactions within suites,” Statesider Office Manager John Brunotte said.
Similar to public housing, the private establishments have also implemented building and floor activities to try to cultivate a sense of community.
Brown and Watson both claim that the supportive learning environment, personalized services and additional amenities all under one roof in private residence halls are appealing to residents.
“For many, this is the first time they are away from home,” Brown said. “The intention is to break down the feel of a big campus to a homelike atmosphere.”
The Statesider has an average of 26 people per floor with one resident assistant.
“This allows RA’s to give individual attention to (more) problems and work through them,” Brunotte said.
UW freshman Emily Weisberg currently lives in a suite in the Towers. She recently moved from Chadbourne Residential Hall to Towers due to previous conflicts with her roommate.
“I wanted the privacy that a single room at Towers offered and to spend my time as I chose, whether it be studying, relaxing or hanging out with friends,” Weisberg said.
The Towers’ suites share a bathroom and kitchen with an adjoining room.
Residence halls of this nature are growing in popularity nationwide. Boston University has adopted suite-style residence halls to expand housing options. 10 Buick Street has been recently constructed in Boston, Massachusetts with the intent to house upperclassmen at BU.
College officials think that keeping juniors and seniors from moving off of campus will work towards a more closely-knit community. In addition, they feel students who live in residence halls for all four years are prepared for later community interactions.
“There is a definite myth out there that either (public or private communities are) homogenous. But both public and private offer great diversity,” Watson said.
UW freshman Cori Robin, a current resident in Ogg, said she wouldn’t exchange the public dorm scene if she were to do it all over again. She has found that the university housing has enabled her to make friendships in the relaxed atmosphere of Ogg.
“It just depends on your lifestyle and how you are willing to live for a year,” Robin said.
