Spring Break
Exempted sophomore tenants anger homeowners
Danelle Noonan & Shane Lee
Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: News
Off-campus student housing has become a major concern in Whitewater with a change in university policy allowing sophomores to move into single-family neighborhoods.
The issue surfaced last Tuesday at a Common Council meeting as homeowners and Aldermen Roy Nosek complained of student vandalism and other problems created by the number of increased students living in what once were "R1" zone neighborhoods, meaning only three non-related residents could live in those houses at a time.
Nosek, who represents District 3, said Tratt Street used to be all single-family homes but has become a hot-spot for student housing.
"I see it as a major threat to Whitewater," he said. "The influence put on housing stock to turn singly-family homes into student housing is the death knell for a community."
He said 62 percent of the city is renting versus buying homes which is opposite of common percentages in cities comparable in size.
Interim Dean of Students Jeff Janz and Steve Summers, interim vice chancellor of student affairs, said UW-Whitewater can't currently house the entire first and second-year students on campus. Currently, residence halls are overcrowded with students living in basements and lounges.
"We've been making a strong, good faith effort to house all the freshmen and sophomore students," Summers said.
In the 17 years Janz has been part of the university faculty, "there hasn't been this much pressure for exemption of the sophomore requirement."
The UW-System Board of Regents have been passing recommendations onto at least six Wisconsin universities who have also lifted their sophomore housing requirement including UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse.
Summers said in 2007, there were 765 UW-Whitewater sophomores eligible to live off-campus but only 65 accepted. In 2008, there were 929 students eligible, with about 200 agreeing to live off-campus.
Sophomores are exempt from having to live on-campus if they have a 2.8 grade point average, completion of 12 or more credits and no disciplinary problems. There is also a educational seminar being put in place students will have to take about being good community citizens.
The issue surfaced last Tuesday at a Common Council meeting as homeowners and Aldermen Roy Nosek complained of student vandalism and other problems created by the number of increased students living in what once were "R1" zone neighborhoods, meaning only three non-related residents could live in those houses at a time.
Nosek, who represents District 3, said Tratt Street used to be all single-family homes but has become a hot-spot for student housing.
"I see it as a major threat to Whitewater," he said. "The influence put on housing stock to turn singly-family homes into student housing is the death knell for a community."
He said 62 percent of the city is renting versus buying homes which is opposite of common percentages in cities comparable in size.
Interim Dean of Students Jeff Janz and Steve Summers, interim vice chancellor of student affairs, said UW-Whitewater can't currently house the entire first and second-year students on campus. Currently, residence halls are overcrowded with students living in basements and lounges.
"We've been making a strong, good faith effort to house all the freshmen and sophomore students," Summers said.
In the 17 years Janz has been part of the university faculty, "there hasn't been this much pressure for exemption of the sophomore requirement."
The UW-System Board of Regents have been passing recommendations onto at least six Wisconsin universities who have also lifted their sophomore housing requirement including UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse.
Summers said in 2007, there were 765 UW-Whitewater sophomores eligible to live off-campus but only 65 accepted. In 2008, there were 929 students eligible, with about 200 agreeing to live off-campus.
Sophomores are exempt from having to live on-campus if they have a 2.8 grade point average, completion of 12 or more credits and no disciplinary problems. There is also a educational seminar being put in place students will have to take about being good community citizens.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
ross
posted 9/11/08 @ 5:06 AM CST
Solution - stop admitting more students than you can physical house on campus, better for the students and better for the Whitewater community.
Theresa
posted 9/16/08 @ 1:58 PM CST
It's a small COLLEGE town..what do residents expect? That all students are to stay on "this side of the line" while they stay on "their side of the line"? A solution to the vandalism problem would be to have more police patrols maybe?
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