Balancing options for living on or off campus

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Amberly Hildebrandt

The 3 C’s Apartment complex is located close to WTAMU’s campus.

Amberly Hildebrandt, Reporter

At West Texas A&M University, students who have fewer than 60 class hours total are required to live on campus. The only exception to this rule is if the student is over 21 years of age or will be living with a parent or guardian who lives within a 50 mile radius of campus.

Living on and off campus has both advantages and disadvantages.

“I could wake up ten minutes before my class and be right to class, where now I have to leave earlier to get to my class since I live off campus,” Sarah Kellner, WTAMU junior Education major, said.

Living off campus, students do not have the convenience of being near their classroom or other WT resources. While living on campus, students could go days without moving their cars. With the tight parking situation at WTAMU, that is a plus of living at WT.

Doors into all residential halls on WTAMU’s campus are locked at all times and the only way to get into the halls is with a registered key. This is a safety feature that is implemented so people are only allowed into their registered halls unless accompanied by a guest.

“While I did feel safe living with a carded door scanner, I feel safer off campus. If someone was wanting to do some damage, a college campus would be the place to hit because of how many people there are,” Emily Brinkley, WTAMU junior General Business major, said.

When living on campus, students are required to purchase a meal plan from WTAMU. So, food is available as long as the students still have dining dollars on their card. With living off campus, students do not have automatic access to the dining hall. Instead of just swiping in with already purchased dining dollars, off campus students have to pay to go in.

“Having the option of a meal plan was good. If you needed it, you knew you had it and now it is just harder to eat at the caf,” Brinkley said.

With living on campus, there are rules. Company is only allowed over on certain hours during the week and weekend, there are no open flames allowed in rooms, and there are safety drills that are done throughout the semester.

“I did not like the fire alarms in the middle of the night while it was snowing. Honestly, it was inconvenient. Now living off campus, I do not have any rules to live by so I don’t have random fire alarms and I can have friends over whenever I want to,” Brinkley, said.

Sharon Sherburn, a WTAMU junior Ag Business major, said while on campus she just interacted with people who stayed on campus. Now living off campus she gets out into the town and meets more people.

“I’m close enough to campus still that I don’t have to drive everywhere, but now I’m more than just a college student because I am not just limited to campus people and activities,” Sherburn said.