Student leaders step up demand for dorms
On-campus housing viewed as way to draw traditional applicant
Students at the University of Massachusetts at Boston are pushing harder than ever before to get the commuter school to build dormitories.
The Undergraduate Student Senate last week adopted its first resolution demanding that university officials include dormitories in future expansion plans, and earlier this semester, students formed a group to advocate for on-campus housing. The groups contend that housing, an idea some Dorchester residents have long opposed, will make the harborside campus more appealing to recent high school graduates who are looking for a more traditional college experience.
The students' support dovetails with the wishes of chancellor Michael Collins, who called for the construction of residence halls during his annual address to students, faculty, and staff last fall. Collins is pitching on-campus housing as a way to build a stronger sense of community on a campus that struggles with low graduation rates.
"A lot of students starting as traditional students here look at friends at other campuses and feel like they are missing out on something, so they leave," said Andrew Damon, 22, a junior from Rockland and a member of the grass-roots student group Housing Options Today. "On-campus housing could increase the university's prestige and draw in more traditional students."
As a part of the resolution passed last week, however, students asked university officials not to burden the entire student body with the cost. Some students fear that construction and operating costs will hike their tuition and fees.
"You are taking a university that essentially runs 12 or 14 hours and you are turning it into a 24-hour community," said Nathan Spencer, a Student Senate member who has concerns about on-campus housing, even though he voted for the resolution. "The university will have to provide for students who are up all night studying or respond to those who cause some problems."
Some students also are concerned that a mix of residential and commuter students could create a divided campus.
The growing advocacy of student leaders for dorms is occurring as university officials are gauging how receptive area neighborhoods would be to the idea of housing approximately 2,000 students on campus.
The administration of former governor Mitt Romney halted a $218 million housing proposal in 2003, contending that the plans were fiscally unsound. Dorchester residents had strongly opposed the plan, which was pushed by William Bulger, former UMass system president, and Collins's predecessor, Jo Ann Gora.
Residents still worry about the student rowdiness that on-campus housing could bring, said Maureen Feeney, City Council president, whose district includes Dorchester. They also question whether the university will cater to more affluent suburban students and turn its back on its original mission of serving city residents, Feeney said.
But she said Collins and deputy chancellor Drew O'Brien have been building good will in the neighborhoods by meeting with civic groups and being upfront with their plans.
"I think we'll see what happens when we move forward," she said. "It definitely will be a lively debate."
O'Brien said he is pleased by the growing support from students for on-campus housing.
"Housing is paramount to student retention," he said.
UMass has a reputation for catering to nontraditional students, those over age 24 and possibly with full-time jobs and families, but the college is increasingly drawing recent high school graduates. This year the university enrolled 974 first-time, full-time freshmen -- a group mostly composed of recent high school graduate s . Five years ago, there were 576.
On-campus housing could make the college even more popular among first-time students, allowing them to live on a Boston campus at half the price of private colleges, students said.
Although UMass hasn't calculated the rates, the full price tag at the three other UMass undergraduate campuses with housing next year will range from $16,000 to $18,000. Big-name Boston schools, such as Boston College and Boston University, will charge $45,000 or more next year .
A campus populated with residential students could create a new army of volunteers for neighborhoods near UMass-Boston, students said.
"The students could add to the urban mission," Damon said. "They will be going out into the community."
James Vaznis can be reached at jvaznis@globe.com. 