FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO LIVE ON-CAMPUS
By: Santiago Montañez Bertoletti, Opinion Columnist
During their first year, many university students may have doubts about how university life works. Among the many decisions you have to make as a first-year student, one of the most important is where to live. And all options fall into two categories: off-campus or on-campus.
Although NIU does not currently require all new students to live on campus, it does require freshmen to spend their first year on-campus if they live more than 50 miles from campus. This requirement is justified because living on-campus is the most beneficial way to start at a university.
The benefits of living on-campus are many, starting with the proximity of residence halls to academic buildings.
Being close to these buildings makes it much easier to get to class on time and provides students with a lot of flexibility to relax in their own space if needed.
It’s much easier to drop by home when you’re a 15 minute walk from your dorm bedroom compared to a 30 minute trip by car to a house.
There is no need to worry about grocery shopping because living on campus also includes a meal plan, so you don’t have to spend time and money buying food.
All the time and money that people who live off-campus use to prepare their meals or buy groceries is time that, especially for first-years, may be better spent doing other things.
There is an important detail to be taken into account about the university life of newcomers; they are just beginning to know how adult life works.
Adult life is not the same thing as being in school.
First-years should be closer to campus so they can more easily access all the extracurricular and university life activities that campus offers. Some of these activities are organized by different clubs as well as organizations like the Latino Student Alliance and Greek Life.
Being closer to the Holmes Student Center makes it much easier to get to Week of Welcome activities and all the special events that the university has to offer, such as Crafting Connections, Involvement Fairs and the Procrastination Café.
Also, the closer you are to the main buildings, the more flexibility you have to take university buses. NIU offers a bus transportation system, the Huskie Bus line, which can be managed from the app SPOT, in which students can see the 12 routes and the live GPS positioning of buses on each route, making it easier for students to take the bus they need when they need it.
First-year students that stay on campus have a better GPA and are more likely to stay studying until finishing their degree, according to the University of Connecticut. Making it mandatory for new students to live on campus brings them various advantages in all aspects of university life – including academics – forcing them to explore all the things this campus has for its students.
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO LIVE ON-CAMPUS
By: Will Thiel, Opinion Columnist
Living off campus is beneficial in a multitude of ways, and NIU freshmen should not be required to live in residence halls as the university currently requires.
One major advantage to living at home during the first year of college is the ability to enjoy home-cooked meals. This not only ensures better nutrition but also allows students to eat their favorite foods, which are more comforting and familiar.
Ratatouille-esque moments at home are suddenly much more appreciated after a year of living on sub-par dining hall food.
The quality of dining hall food is often a concern for many students and is often considered mediocre at best. Living off-campus means they aren’t reliant on dining hall meals.
Instead, they can prepare their own meals or enjoy home-cooked food, which is often healthier and more satisfying, especially from family.
The “Freshman 15” is a common term used to describe the weight gain many students experience during their first year of college. While gaining a full 15 pounds may be above average, 60% of first-year students gain on average about seven and a half pounds, according to a 2015 research article.
By living at home, students can maintain healthier eating habits and avoid the unhealthy food options often found on campus.
Another benefit is the potential cost savings. Students living at home don’t have to pay for rent or room-and-board, which is a substantial financial relief. This can help reduce student debt and allow for better financial planning.
At NIU, students living on campus in residence halls pay from around $5,500 to $7,700 each semester, with the basic meal plan included, according to NIU.
Living at home also means students aren’t immediately exposed to the full responsibilities of adulting. If the family environment is supportive and beneficial, it can be a better option than living independently. This can provide a smoother transition into adulthood.
Would you rather be an undeveloped “adult” adapting to bad habits or instead grow up in a controlled environment?
Considering brain development, particularly the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control, many 18-year-olds may not be fully ready to leave the nest.
After all, the brain won’t finish developing until an adult reaches their mid-to-late 20s, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Living at home can provide additional time for maturity and development.
The ideal choice for first-year freshmen is to live off-campus initially, or even better, attend a community college to gain a better understanding of themselves before transferring to NIU.
