Solution for Lack of Student Housing

Over the last few years, Texas State University-San Marcos has seen a significant increase in the number students applying and being admitted to the university. According to Hendricks (2010), from the fall of 2009 to the fall of 2010, the campus saw a 5.9% increase in the number of students attending the university. In the fall of 2010, the campus reached a new record enrollment of 32,586 students; Out of those, 3,930 were incoming freshman. A vast majority of freshmen and sophomores experience their first two years of college life spread out among the university grounds in dormitories or apartments. In order for many incoming students to attend, they must live on-campus unless they meet the requirements as stated by university policy. Although this seems like a small number of incoming students to provide housing to, many prospective students, especially freshmen, are now experiencing problems when applying for on-campus living.
Texas State University Residence Life (n.d.) policy on student housing requires that in order for a student to be eligible to live off-campus they must have obtained 30 credited hours or be over the age of 20. Although campus living is a first year college experience that many enjoy, currently sophomores, juniors, and even some seniors are allowed to live in these facilities even though they meet the requirements for off-campus living. This is raising questions among the students of Texas State University on the current policy and its negative effects. There are only enough dorms to house 5,745 students and that does not account for Residential Assistants, returning freshmen, and returning upper-classmen. (Texas State University Residence Life, n.d.2) This has generated a waiting list for the students who do not meet the requirements to live off-campus. In previous years, the university has lessened the requirements pertaining to on-campus living; however, there is still not enough housing to provide adequate accommodations for Texas