Lounge living tops other dorm arrangements

Niu is a third-year transfer student majoring in
business-economics.

By Frank Niu

Most students living on campus would avoid living in a study
lounge at all costs. But from personal experience, I can tell you
that living in a lounge is not as bad as one might imagine. Believe
it or not, I am happily living in Rieber’s 3 North
lounge.

When I tell others of my current living situation, their faces
turn sour and an expression of sympathy appears. This is how the
majority of people view my living situation; but I think lounges
are better than living in triples.

The On Campus Housing Council and the Undergraduate Student
Association Council should not eliminate lounges for next year
because these lounges offer advantages other living arrangements
can’t.

Of course the roommates you are living with contribute greatly
to your experience of living in the lounge. Luckily, I was
placed with roommates I get along with and can maintain a positive
view of life in the lounge.

When you look at a lounge next to a triple, there is no
comparison ““ living in a lounge is more favorable to
students. Don’t believe me?

One of the biggest differences between the two is the space that
is available to the residents. In a triple, three people are fit
into a room that is meant for two, so this means three people are
jam-packed together with no personal space. In the lounge, there is
enough personal room for each resident to live in comfortably
““ plus room to spare. There is even enough extra space
to play frisbee!

Another advantage of living in the lounge is receiving
complimentary gifts from the housing department. We’ve
received a free year’s rental of a microfridge, baskets of
cookies, and bags of gifts to help us prepare for finals. But what
do you get from housing when you live in a triple? All you get
is the hatred you have for housing for putting you in such a lousy
condition at such a high price.

It’s also easier to meet new people when living in the
lounge. Right off the bat, you have five roommates to
introduce you to new people versus two when living in a triple.
Since the lounge is the gathering place for the floor, many
students still come to meet the “unfortunate ones” who
live in the lounge. No doubt you will be able to meet new people
when you live in a triple, but there are many triples on each floor
and only one lounge.

There are countless times when students living in triples have
told me that they would rather live in the lounge. Lounges must
have something going for them if people living in triples want to
live here!

Now of course it would be nice to use the study lounge for its
intended purpose ““ studying. But which floor can
truthfully say they use their study lounge to study even half of
the time? I have been to many study lounges that are either
completely empty or function as a place to hang out for the
floor. So why not use the study lounges as a living space for
students who can easily use this place as a comfortable, sociable
and enjoyable living arrangement for them?

Living in the lounge truly has its advantages which a triple
cannot even come close to matching. I truly believe that lounge
living is beneficial to students and will greatly enhance new
students’ college experiences, as it has for me.