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Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

Hillcrest: A short term solution
Natalie Scherer, reporter, CAFNR Corner Post

Living in a residential hall is normal for freshmen and many underclassmen. While living in a not so familiar place does take some adjusting, friends are usually nearby, just a few minutes away, in a close residential hall. This is not the case for the many students attending the Univeristy of Missouri-Columbia, living in Hillcrest Hall located in Stephens College.

The groups of MU students living at Hillcrest are not all freshmen, but the majority is. There are 77 men and 54 women totaling 131 MU students living off campus in a close college. The walk to classes for these students is approximately 25-30 minutes.

Students may have to live at Hillcrest Hall depending on two conditions. If the students didn’t meet the priority deadline of March 1, they weren’t given a room on the Mizzou campus.

The students who met the priority deadline were given a room on campus. The later the applications were received, the sooner the residential halls were filled, which forced the Department of Residential Life to house some undergraduate students in Hillcrest Hall. Also, if a student requested a roommate, and the roommate requests didn’t match up completely, one of the students was given a room at Stevens College. The student was the paired with a fellow student with somewhat of the same requests. The students only have to live off campus for one semester, which means in approximately four months, these students will have to pack up their belongings and move into their second residential hall in their first year of college.

Brandon Block, a MU freshman, living in Hillcrest Hall, believes that the rooms are larger with more closet space. The only disadvantage is that the rooms aren’t internet ready and don’t contain cable television. The payoff for students living on Stevens College campus is that the amount for residential halls isn’t as expensive. The rate to live off campus cost $1,435, (not including a meal plan) a close comparison to Dobbs Hall.

Block doesn’t understand why he was picked to live in Hillcrest. His housing contract was turned in between the end of March and the beginning of April. Block knows of a fellow student who returned a housing contract later than he did. He is confused to why he is living off campus while his friend is privileged enough to live in an on campus residential hall.

“The University loses about $4000 a semester by housing students at Hillcrest” commented Christian Basi, Assistant Director of the MU News Bureau. The University also provides a shuttle service for these students during the night hours.

These students are faced with a troubling situation their first year of college. “If we want to interact with other students from campus, there is at least a 20-30 minute walk to the school,” Block said.

In being away from campus, it is vital to make friends with the other 130 MU students living on Stevens College, otherwise, the transition from high school to college would be more stressful than necessary.

Story posted 9/7/03

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