On-campus housing crisis stokes concerns

Photo courtesy famu.edu

On-campus housing availability at Florida A&M University is a cause for concern for students who are seeking a place to stay. The lack of on-campus housing has led to difficulties in finding affordable housing options near the campus in the past school year.

One of the main reasons for the low availability of on-campus housing is the increase in enrollment among freshmen. As FAMU continues to attract more students, the demand for on-campus housing increases.

However, building new dormitories and residence halls requires a significant investment of time and resources, and many institutions may not have the capacity to keep up with the growing demand.

FAMU is facing a student housing crisis as demand for on-campus housing continues to rise. With limited availability of dormitories and residence halls, students are struggling to secure affordable and convenient housing options, causing stress and anxiety for students and their families.

Arianna Jordan, a transfer student majoring in psychology, is preparing early for the next semester.

“Last semester I had to stay with my friend until I found housing because there was nothing left on campus,” Jordan said.  “luckily, I was able to secure a two-bedroom apartment later in the semester. I have secured my housing early this year to not run into the same problem.”

The housing crisis at FAMU is not new, but it has been worsened in recent years due to a growing student population and limited expansion of on-campus housing. According to university officials, FAMU’s student population has grown by more than 10% in the past five years, with over 9,200 students currently enrolled. However, the availability of on-campus housing has not kept up with this growth, leaving many students without a safe and affordable place to live.

Low-income and first-generation college students, who may have few financial resources and struggle to find reasonable housing options, have also been disproportionately affected by the housing crisis. These students are now more worried since they could have to pick between paying for accommodations and other necessary costs like food and textbooks.

Officials from the university are aware of the housing dilemma at FAMU and have addressed it by constructing a new residence hall with 700 beds on campus in 2019, called Towers, which will help somewhat reduce the demand for on-campus housing.  This still did not solve the problem completely.

“This semester FAMU has offered me housing near campus. I’m thinking about trying it out,” said Ashlyn Boles.

To address the immediate needs of students, FAMU has also partnered with private developers to offer off-campus housing options. However, these options can be more expensive and less convenient than on-campus housing and may not be accessible to all students.

Many students and their families are becoming increasingly concerned about the student housing problem at FAMU. Officials at the university have made some efforts to address the problem, but more guarantees that all students will have access to safe and reasonably priced housing options remain.