THE DAILY ILLINI
1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820 || (217) 337-8300
The Daily Illini is the independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. The newspaper is published by the Illini Media Company. The Daily Illini does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of the University of Illinois administration, faculty or students.
All Illini Media Company and/or The Daily Illini articles, photos and graphics are the property of Illini Media Company and may not be reproduced or published without written permission from the publisher.
How to contact us
The Daily Illini is located in the basement of the University YMCA at 1001 S. Wright St., Champaign, IL 61820. Our o ce hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
General phone numbers
Front Desk: (217) 337-8300
Advertising: (217) 337-8382
Newsroom: (217) 337-8345
Newsroom contacts
Online: If you have a question about the dailyillini.com website, please email our web development team at online@dailyillini.com.
Visuals: If you have a question about photos, graphics or The Daily Illini’s social media, please email our Visual Director at visuals@dailyillini.com.
Employment: If you would like to work for the newspaper’s editorial department, please ll out our online form at dailyillini.com.
Calendar: If you want to submit events for publication in print and online, visit dailyillini.com.
Letters to the editor: Letters are limited to 300 words. Contributions must include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college. The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit or reject any contributions. Email opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.”
Advertising
Placing an ad: If you would like to place an ad, please contact our advertising department at (217) 3378382 or e-mail advertise@illinimedia.com.
Corrections: When we make a mistake, we will correct it in this place. We strive for accuracy, so if you see an error, please contact Editor-in-Chief Jacob Slabosz at (217) 337-8365 or email editor@dailyillini.com.
Editorial Team
Editor-in-Chief:
Jacob Slabosz editor@dailyillini.com
Managing Editor: Lillie Salas reporting@dailyillini.com
Visual Director: Matt Stepp visuals@dailyillini.com
Special Sections Editor: Ella Narag specialsections@dailyillini.com
News Editor: Mary Piacente news@dailyillini.com
A&E Editor: Maaike Niekerk buzz@dailyillini.com features@dailyillini.com
Sports Editor: Ben Fader sports@dailyillini.com
Copy Chief: Athena Ly copy@dailyillini.com
Photo Editor: James Hoeck photo@dailyillini.com
Graphics Editor: Anna Fedczuk graphics@dailyillini.com
Design Editor: Lux Lin design@dailyillini.com
Audience Director: Jack Larson social@dailyillini.com
Editor’s note
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JACOB SLABOSZ editor@dailyillini.com
We’ve all had our fair share of housing experiences, ascos, conundrums and hullabaloo. With the current local housing climate, it would be nonsensical to say this year has been smooth sailing.
As discussed in the editorial on page 32, the University admitted a record number of freshman for the 2024-25 school year — again. Though there are the obvious implications for class sizes and general campus foot tra c, many side e ects appeared as well.
With the last three consecutive years having the largest class sizes in the University’s history, it brings us to an interesting place for next year: There are more students than ever looking for housing, causing unprecedented demand with leasing companies.
My experience apartment hunting was not favorable. After the second cycle of rent increasing at my current apartment, I decided to start my hunt for a new dwelling. I thought I would be ne since I started looking only three weeks into the school year. I had done the same my freshman year and had no issues.
Oh lord, was I mistaken. Prices were high, availability was low and my temper was short. I fought tooth and nail to secure a unit, and it was the last one at the building.
This experience is not unique to me, though. Students hunting for an on-campus abode become tributes in a “Hunger Games” run by leasing companies, and this year is worse than ever. Thus, we have created the Housing Guide, featuring everything from a pro le on Roland Realty to a deep dive on student complaints about withheld security deposits.
Though this apartment hunting season might be ending earlier than we originally anticipated, we hope that this guide helps you nonetheless.
The HUB Champaign Daniel, located on Sixth and Daniel streets, towers over the campus and is known for its luxury units on Oct. 2. Green Street and the surrounding area is home to several luxury apartment high-rises that students can lease for higher rent prices.
BIANCA OLSON THE DAILY ILLINI
Students take action against withheld security deposits
SENIOR COPY EDITOR
MICHAEL BALES mcbales2@dailyillini.com
Students are struggling to receive their full security deposits back from property owners after the latest round of academic year leases terminated in August.
Many renting students were slapped with charges for cleaning and maintenance after they moved out, which were withheld from the security deposits they paid upfront to cover potential damages to their unit. With little evidence of the repairs, students seek the return of their missing hundreds.
“After we moved out, we made sure to clean (the apartment),” said Juliana Petrov, junior in AHS. “We vacuumed, we dusted, we cleaned the carpet. It was spick and span, not a single speck of dust.”
Petrov and her roommate Claudia Majercak, junior in LAS, were charged over $500 for general cleaning, painting and carpet cleaning after they moved out of their University Group apartment in Champaign this summer.
“There was nothing that needed to be painted,” Petrov said. “At least not from us.”
The state Petrov and Majercak left their apartment in contrasts the way they found it upon move-in, which furthered their dismay about the money they were charged.
“To start, they said that it would be cleaned and it was
not,” Majercak said. “There were nail clippings in the drawers. It was not dusted; our balcony was covered in bird poop.”
Petrov echoed these sentiments, sharing disappointment in the cleaning done after the previous tenants left.
“So moving in, we saw U-Group had left a little business card saying that one of their business rms cleaned the apartment, and it was signed, and I wish we had kept that for proof saying that it was signed because now we’re ghting a battle with them,” Petrov said.
The roommates sent an inquiry to University Group to have the charges dropped. The company said they would respond within 14 business days, but a month came and went without contact.
“And then they said today — we called — and they lost our inquiry,” Petrov said.
Petrov and Majercak have the con rmation email from the inquiry, as well as pictures they believe support their claim to the return of the rest of their security deposit.
“It just seems like they’re just trying to avoid the whole thing and trying to get us (to) back down,” Majercak said.
This experience is not unique for undergraduate renters on campus. Sasha McDowell, graduate student studying comparative literature, was charged $750 after she recently moved out of a University Group apartment in Champaign.
Like Petrov and Majercak, McDowell led a dispute over
the charge to her security deposit, which was likewise promised a response within 14 business days.
“And that was August 31,” McDowell said. “Still haven’t heard from them, but I have gone to Student Legal Services, met with them. The lawyer there sent out a letter to University Group on my and my former roommates’ behalf.”
The letter claims there was not a great amount of damage, and the apartment was actually left cleaner than it was found. Additionally, it accuses University Group of not providing receipts for the invoices McDowell was sent.
“When we’re not seeing proofs that it’s being cleaned, we’re not seeing a paid receipt, we’re not able to verify someone else actually received the money — that’s the issue,” said Anthony Allegretti, directing attorney at Student Legal Services.
Without receipts to match invoices, renters are unable to con rm if the amount they were charged was spent in full toward the maintenance done on their unit. This leaves them, and Allegretti, with unanswered questions about where the money is going.
“There should be something attached to it, and we just don’t see it,” Allegretti said. “We see a lot of unpaid invoices with a lot of boilerplate language about what was done, an hourly rate, times by a number of hours and a charge.”
While Petrov, Majercak and
McDowell are all currently disputing a single organization, University Group is not the only property manager students are aiming to have their money returned from.
“We are getting disputes across from all of the major landlords in town,” Allegrettie said. “I haven’t seen anyone left out of the big-time guys.”
Renters have also disputed Green Street Realty, Smile Fairlawn Student Living, Roland Realty and JSJ Property Management.
“(Student Legal Services) is the only place you can go as a student to talk with a lawyer about landlord-tenant issues,” Allegretti said. “That’s a large chunk of what we do. Right now, we are in the middle of security deposit season.”
Leases in Campustown generally operate on an August-to-August cycle. As a result, Student Legal Services handles security deposit disputes every year, most prominently in the early fall. As of Sept. 25, the o ce was booked out for two weeks due to the volume of students seeking legal assistance.
“Another thing I want to add is (University Group) said today on the phone call that they’re dealing with a lot of inquiries,” Petrov said. “So it kind of made me think, ‘Why is there a lot of inquiries about getting your security deposit back? Why is every student (with) U-Group not getting their full security deposit back?’”
With disputes arising across
all the major property owners in the area, the experience has left some looking for alternatives.
“I wanted to nd a place that was like the antithesis of University Group. I wanted some place small,” McDowell said.
Though McDowell is having an improved experience with a smaller lessor, that isn’t the case for everyone renting outside of the larger companies.
Joanna Dai, graduate student studying nutritional sciences, lived in an Urbana house purchased by Tim Chao, owner of BakeLab and BrewLab.
“Based on the law of Urbana, the landlord is supposed to give you back the (deposit) between like 30-45 days, so then after 45 days I started texting him,” Dai said. “That was the only way I could get hold of him before. And then he started ignoring it.”
Dai didn’t have any charges for cleaning or painting like her peers. Instead, her lessor was simply withholding her money.
“He was like, ‘Oh, you can just share your Venmo with me,’ so then I just shared my Venmo information with him,” Dai said. “Then I never heard back from him again. I kept calling him, I kept texting him, basically nothing.”
It wasn’t until after she reached out to Student Legal Services that Dai received her security deposit back in full.
“I nally contacted the student legal o ce and I got to meet this really nice lady … she’s one of the attorneys that’s helping the students,” Dai said. “So then she started calling Tim Chao for me and also representing me, leaving him voicemails.”
Dai supplemented the calls by approaching Chao’s ancée about the issue, who she knew from doing business with at BakeLab. Dai’s persistence was successful, and she received her deposit later that week.
“I was going to go on social media and expose BakeLab and BrewLab if necessary, or ask my friends to hold up signs for me in front of Ba-
keLab or go on protesting for my deposit,” Dai said. “But it didn’t need to happen, which I’m glad because it would take a lot of courage to do that.”
With security deposit disputes becoming a widespread campus phenomenon year after year, students have strong theories about why they continue to be an issue.
“I think it’s because they think students are stupid,” McDowell said. “I think they think that we’re a bunch of dumb college or 20-something students who don’t know our rights.”
Petrov and Majercak felt a similar way, believing companies are just trying to take as much as they can.
“I think they know that college students are uninformed about the resources that they have and the rights that they have … and the resources available at U of I,” Petrov said.
From a legal standpoint, Allegretti recommends thorough documentation to have the best chance of receiving
your deposit back at the end of the lease.
“Document the condition of your place when you move in, when you move out, ll out all the movement reports, submit work request when you need to and save all that information somewhere that you’re gonna have 30 to 60 days after you’ve already moved out,” Allegretti said.
Even this won’t necessarily guarantee the deposit’s return without a ght: Petrov and Majercak have the documentation their lessor wants but are still waiting on their deposit.
“I mean, you know what? You learn something, and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Majercak said, re ecting on the whole experience so far.
Though Majercak’s newfound strength is not currently evident in her bank account, she and Petrov will be more informed renters in the future, as will the many students having to learn the time-consuming process of ghting for themselves.
ISAAC PINKUS THE DAILY ILLINI
The apartment complex at 310 S. First St. owned by University Group on Oct. 16. The company owns over 150 properties in Champaign-Urbana.
University Housing, RAs speak on UI dorm shortage
SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
JESSIE WANG
jessiew4@dailyillini.com
University Housing informed resident advisers on July 26 they might temporarily room with their freshman residents as a last-ditch e ort to combat a housing shortage caused by admissions uncertainties.
According to Deputy Associate Chancellor Allison Vance via email, all temporary roommates for RAs moved out by Sept. 18. RAs expressed frustration because they were informed of possible roommate assignments just 11 days before their Aug. 6 move-in.
An RA in AHS, who elected to remain anonymous, said they found out they were getting a roommate — not from University channels — but from a friend who told them to check their housing portal.
They said it was di cult to set boundaries with their new roommate, and the situation took a toll on their personal life.
“It’s a con ict of interest … because I’m their RA, and they’re my resident,” they said. “They probably felt uncomfortable knowing that they had someone who’s seen as their supervisor in their room.”
Despite enjoying connecting with their residents, they said being an RA should not come at the cost of their well-being.
“I still have my own privacy concerns, so it was kind of hard to navigate them,” they said. “I do like making and creating spaces where every-
one feels like they belong, but never at my expense.”
Although RAs were o ered an additional $125 per month if they received a roommate, the anonymous RA said University Housing exploited the nancial dependence many RAs have on their position to provide free room and board.
“Being an RA is hard, and I feel like the attitude that housing has towards RAs has been (that) if you’re not willing to do the job, we’ll nd someone else who is because they know that people are in nancial situations where they have to choose to be an RA,” they said.
The University took several steps before placing RAs with roommates, including converting lounges to rooms and moving residents with a housing contract to private apartments.
“Our RAs (provide) critical student support,” said Chris Axtman-Barker, associate director of communications and marketing at University Housing. “We really didn’t want to exercise that option, and I think you can see we were true to that by removing those roommates as quickly as we possibly could.”
He said several RAs left their positions — citing the existence of a roommate — but that it was not necessarily the only cause of resignation.
“We had more RAs leaving us for just as many other reasons — it was really a typical amount of RA turnover than happens at that time of the year,” Axtman-Barker said.
A sophomore RA, who also
asked to remain anonymous, said the recent Service Employees International Union Local 73 strike created additional stress for RAs and residents. The strike, which was suspended on Oct. 1 after SEIU and the University reached a tentative agreement, resulted in long lines and limited options at dining halls, according to students.
“It’s just extremely frustrating … the resources here at the University just (are) not being implemented properly,” they said. “Students are paying a lot of money for housing and food plans, and then it’s not being put to good use overall.”
They were not assigned a temporary roommate, but they said they felt the need to speak up and advocate for RAs. They said the University should establish an RA council to give them a voice and ensure the council is accessible and equitable.
According to Axtman-Barker, RAs who ful ll the dual role of being employees and residents can provide feedback through hall councils and a resident advisory group that meets with the director of University Housing.
“Some RAs asked if a speci c RA advisory group could be formed, and I believe those folks were directed to join the resident advisory group that already exists,” Axtman-Barker said. “Our RAs are in a unique position because they’re both sta members and residents in our communities.”
The University’s rising prole in U.S. World and News
rankings, coupled with a trend of record-breaking class sizes, indicates that ful lling the housing needs of students may remain a challenge.
Axtman-Barker said over the past few years, University Housing has noticed an uptick in demand.
“We have certainly seen increased demand in residents wanting to reserve space to return to University Housing, as well as from rst-year students preferring University Housing as an option,” Axtman-Barker said.
The University will continue to enforce the one-year on-campus requirement for rst-time students. The policy is correlated with higher student success rates, he said.
“From our own studies, we have seen that students are much more likely to graduate and … in a shorter length of time when they do spend that rst year in certi ed housing,” Axtman-Barker said. “So that makes a big di erence for student success rates and saves students a lot of money, and both of those things are very important to the University.”
Axtman-Barker said University Housing is working with stakeholders to curb the size of incoming classes.
“We are having conversations as university units between the Chancellor’s o ce, Enrollment Management, University Housing, Student A airs and academic partners on how we can make sure this doesn’t happen next year — that we don’t have another unexpectedly large class,” Axtman-Barker said.
Weeklong SEIU strike upends campus life
STAFF WRITER
ALICE MEI
alicem3@dailyillini.com
STAFF WRITER
JUDE PANLILIO
jpanl2@dailyillini.com
As the University welcomed its largest-ever freshman class of 9,008 into a dorm shortage, the building and the Service Employees International Union Local 73 strike stretched the campus labor force even thinner.
“UIUC students have reported long lines at the dining hall, moldy bread and undercooked chicken nuggets, dirty bathrooms and trash piling up across campus,” said SEIU Communications Director Eric Bailey.
Almost 800 workers went on strike, leading to the shutdowns of LAR dining hall, Terrabyte at ISR’s hot food service, Field of Greens at LAR and Corner Cafe at FAR. Willard Airport and University gyms also lost workers to the strike.
“They have overbooked this school by thousands and this affects us,” said SEIU Chapter 119 President Melody Decker at a Sept. 13 rally. “People work between two or three venues to serve these children.”
The strikers were composed of two distinct but closely related workforces within the University — Building Service Workers and Food Service Workers.
SEIU labor organizer Ricky Baldwin said BSWs are subject to cleaning up fecal matter, blood and urine on a daily basis. “They discover dead bodies, sometimes of students they have gotten to know. They find miscarried fetuses,” Baldwin said.
Negotiations for a new contract for BSWs and FSWs began in January over various grievances, including wages — a legally mandated bargaining topic. Baldwin said topics such as minimizing lost wages from unemployment and cleaning up the encampment were settled last spring. However, once wages were brought up, Baldwin said negotiations began breaking down.
Although student workers saw a $1 raise to $15 due to wage compression this January, the University “somehow forgot about wage compression for us,” Baldwin said.
When the BSW and FSW contracts expired in August, a compromise was still nowhere to be seen.
Negotiations throughout September continued to yield no new contract, and SEIU ultimately made the move to strike the morning of Monday, Sept 23.
Picketers spread themselves across almost every dining hall on campus, wielding signs and chanting for higher pay.
The Iron Workers Union froze construction on Illini Union in support, and a GoFundMe supporting
strikers reached $26,728 out of its $30,000 goal by the strike’s end.
Travis Huynh, junior in LAS, rallied alongside the strikers from the start.
To him, siding with the workers who “build the stability of University life” was the best path to restoring campus services.
“Everything I do at this University relies on the labor of these people,” Huynh, who had been subsisting on picket line food since the strike started, said during a rally at Anniversary Plaza. “They are the ones who built the buildings, sweep the floors and make our food; the services that they provide is what keeps us active students.”
Under their proposed three-year contract, strikers hoped to achieve a $1 yearly increase in wages for both BSWs and FSWs and a signing bonus for all workers. Specific figures and demands from the University and SEIU fluctuated every meeting in hopes of a compromise.
“This really is bigger than any individual person,” said Promise Aziaka, a BSW of one year. “We’re doing things that are going to help improve the quality of life across the board, not just for the workers here; those things are going to translate and have ripple effects throughout the entire University.”
During the union’s threeday strike in 2013, student workers were among those
who were told to take on additional duties along with their original jobs.
Baldwin reported that the University attempted to make up for the labor shortage this year by contacting clerical workers represented by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3700, a different union representing clerical and administrative staff on campus. This posed a safety concern as these workers are not trained to handle food, Baldwin said.
AFSCME resisted the University’s order as a violation of the Health and Safety section of their contractual rights, added AFSCME president Ursulla Idleman. This order was “to the detriment of worker safety, the student body, and our union siblings in SEIU,” Idleman said in an email.
According to Chris Axtman-Barker, associate director of communications and marketing at University Housing, they did not explicitly try to hire new workers to replace staff lost to the strike.
The strike ended Sept. 30, and employees returned to work on Oct. 1.
Read more about SEIU here!
Scan the QR code or visit dailyillini.com to read the full story plus more!
CU construction projects accommodate housing crisis
SENIOR FEATURE REPORTER
SAM GREGERMAN
sg94@dailyillini.com
Whether the demolition of a nearby building has become your new morning alarm or a leasing company has staked its claim on a fenced-in construction site, it’s nearly impossible to walk around the University without running into one of Champaign-Urbana’s newest building developments.
Leasing companies are claiming many construction projects amidst the rising population in Champaign. This is due in part to the increasing class sizes at the University.
The University News Bureau reported the newest freshman class as the highest in the school’s history, with just over 9,000 students enrolled. Overpopulation in University Housing has also added to alternative measures being taken as a means of adapting to the growing population.
The 2024 o cial United States Census reported the city of Champaign’s population at 89,462 residents, marking an increase of over 4,000 people in 10 years since 2014. As the city’s population continues to grow, housing accommodations continue to be made across Campustown.
Jon Fry, pastor at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church & Campus Center, moved his o ce from its former building
at 608 E. Chalmers St. to the basement of the University YMCA after demolition began this past summer.
“The old building wasn’t accessible,” Fry said. “There were a lot of structural issues that needed to be taken care of.”
Smile Fairlawn Student Living received a permit on June 18 for the construction of a mixed-use seven-story building where St. Andrew’s and a neighboring apartment building used to stand, according to Randy Smith, building safety supervisor for the City of Champaign.
“What that typically means is there’s multiple parts of this building being used for di erent things,” Smith said. “It’s marked as both ‘R’ for residential and ‘A’ for assembly, and there may be a parking component of this building too.”
Smile began leasing the upper oors of the new building for fall 2025, preparing to rent out all 115 new apartments, according to Fairlawn Student Living’s Director of Marketing & Sales Lauren Barth.
“The existing Lutheran Campus Center building was aging and no longer met St. Andrew’s needs,” Barth said. “They were looking to renovate or replace the building, and since we owned an aging student apartment building next door, a collaboration made sense.”
The Building Safety Division of the Champaign
Fire Department ensures city codes related to building construction are enforced. These include permit applications, compliance with code and inspections of the construction sites.
“Building Safety is kind of the gatekeeper to the permitting process,” Smith said. “Any building construction project starts here.”
St. Andrews has been operating out of the University YMCA while the new building is constructed.
“We lost some of the visual identity of having people know that we are a church,” Fry said. “People knew we were the church with the pride ags and bike rack, and we lost some of that moving into the Y.”
The Zoning Administration is also directly involved in city construction projects. They work closely with the Building Safety Division as new apartment developments increase in demand.
“Broadly speaking, and very speci c to zoning in particular, much of Campustown — including Green Street — allows for residential development,” said Kat Trotter, zoning administrator. “We do require a mixed-use component, so ground oor commercial and upper oors residential is what’s allowed on Green.”
Trotter has been involved in a variety of on-campus projects in the last few months. A new seven-story building at 405 E. Stoughton St. provided 149 new residential units.
“Seeing investment (opportunities) in the existing apartment buildings is a positive thing,” Trotter said. “COVID-19 kind of slowed the development on campus ... So it’s great to see housing being built more and more lately, and the city de nitely hopes to see that continue.”
JAMES HOECK THE DAILY ILLINI
A new Smile Fairlawn Student Living apartment complex being built on Oct. 13. The building is located on the corner of E Chalmers and S Wright streets.
Largest admitted freshman class skyrockets dining hall foot tra c
STAFF WRITER
FELICITY ABBOTT
fabbott2@dailyillini.com
After posting about its largest admitted freshman class, students living in University dorms face the consequences of this statistic, as dining halls have quickly become overcrowded.
“The size of the rst year class did put University Housing in a bit of a complex position because the class size doesn’t take shape until the summer, and at that point, it is harder to make large changes for the upcoming year,” said Chris Axtman-Barker, associate director of communications and marketing for University Housing.
Students often have to wait in long lines to get into dining halls before waiting in another line to get their food.
Axtman-Barker explained although students may be experiencing increased trafc in ISR Dining Hall and the Ikenberry Dining Hall, these foot tra c levels are inconsistent across all dining spaces.
“That also indicates that some of what students are describing as inconvenient is also a matter of preference,” Axtman-Barker said. “Meals are still available in LAR, in retail, in PAR dining and students are still choosing to go to a more crowded ISR, Ikenberry because they like that experience better.”
In addition to adjusting to general college life, Juliana Alvarez, freshman in LAS, has also had to adapt to the state of the dining halls.
“I do remember a day where the lines were just literally out the door, and I wasn’t going to wait in a line that long, so all I had was maybe some salad, and I think some soup too,” Alvarez said. “Sometimes, it’s just so much that you don’t even want to wait, and the food wouldn’t even be the best it could be.”
Joseph Hissem, sophomore in FAA and resident adviser at Wassaja Hall, has also had to sacri ce some of his typical eating patterns to adapt to the crowded dining halls.
“Last year, I knew that if I walked in at seven, I could still get a good meal, there’d still be food, the lines would maybe take 15-20 minutes, which is ne; it’s normal, and I was willing to do that,” Hissem said. “But this year, I don’t even try after 4:30. If I’m not there at 4:30, then I’m not going to eat.”
Alongside the unusually large freshman class, the recent Service Employees International Union Local 73 strike lessened the options for dining spaces.
According to Axtman-Barker, SEIU workers were on strike from Sept. 2330, with employees returning to work on Oct. 1. To accommodate the lack of sta , the hot food at retail locations TerraByte and 57 North closed for the duration of the strike. Additionally, the LAR dining hall was closed for the duration of the strike.
“(The strike) de nitely a ected my Mondays and Wednesdays, just because I don’t have time to go grab
lunch at Ike, so I would go to Ike 57 and just get something quick,” Alvarez said. “Since that’s closed, I’ve just had to just skip lunch and then just have an early dinner, and that’s been kind of annoying.”
According to Axtman-Barker, although the SEIU strike did strain the issue of dining hall crowding, the size of the rst-year class had more of an impact on the increase in foot tra c. To anticipate this increase, University Housing adjusted sta coverage of the dining halls.
“We hired a small number of additional sta , and we changed some of our menus to make them easier to prepare for larger numbers of students, like expecting that capacity,” Axtman-Barker said.
Recent dining hall experiences have left much to be desired for students with dining plans. Hissem said even with his dining plan, he has recently bought groceries to have things to eat.
“We pay a lot of money to go here, and with all that money, I feel like they could present better options or give the workers a fair wage,” Alvarez said. “I kind of just expected a little more with how the University is talked about and their image they present themselves with.”
Regarding future improvements to better student dining experience, Axtman-Barker explained University Housing has been encouraging students to utilize other dining locations since there is little room to improve the capacity of pop-
ular sites such as ISR or Ikenberry Dining Hall.
According to Axtman-Barker, there will soon be a new retail dining location. The new spot, Corner Café, will utilize part of the previously functional FAR Dining Hall. The unique factor about Corner Café is that students can purchase retail menu items using both dining dollars and dining swipes.
Students can use a swipe to choose an entrée, side, drink and piece of fruit, according to Axtman-Barker.
While improvements are in the works for increased dining spaces, they could be too late for students who are quickly determining where to live for the next school year.
“At rst, I was considering (living in the dorms for a second year) because it’s kind of easier to nd a dorm and get a meal plan, and then with the strike and just living situations in general, I really want to nd an apartment,” Alvarez said.
As agreements are made between SEIU representatives and the University, dining halls should be shifting back to pre-strike conditions, providing students with perhaps crowded but somewhat normal dining experiences.
“University Housing sta are trying to do their best and any inconvenience we’ve apologized for — for students and our residents — but we are trying to do our best to make sure that everyone has the ability to get through our dining halls and get the meals that they want to eat,” Axtman-Barker said.
EV CHARGING
By Zhouqin Burnikel
Sudoku
Provided by The Mempham Group
Los
Crossword Puzzle
©2024 Tribune Content Agency,
Cut and fold the images below to assemble your own apartment!
Roland Realty is not sorry for partying
MANAGING EDITOR
LILLIE SALAS
lmsalas2@dailyillini.com
SPECIAL SECTIONS EDITOR
ELLA NARAG
mnarag2@dailyillini.com
One thousand beds and 184 properties make up Roland Realty — the popular leasing company known for its creation of the students’ beloved Seniorland. Sitting on First Street, its o ce sees prospective tenants enter through its doors each year in hopes they will have a property passed down to them.
Roland Realty has amassed a large following of students, not just through social media engagement, but their participation in student living, which makes them stand out amongst other leasing companies.
“We want to just maintain the relationship with the kids … rst and foremost,” said Mark Germano, general manager of Roland Realty. “We want to be a brand that you can trust.”
Germano, who took over Roland Realty last November, said it’s been an exciting year. They transitioned to digitizing paperwork, and are placing a higher emphasis on their social media presence. Throughout it all, Germano makes a point to have an open-door
policy to continue rapport with their tenants.
Mary Therese Thavis, a University alumna and former two-year-tenant with Roland Realty, said Seniorland’s proximity to the bars added to its already lively atmosphere. She also noted its branding style as one that goes against the norm.
“I thought that they were a really unique leasing agency in the sense that they promoted the party culture,” Thavis said. “Whereas I feel like other rental agencies de nitely shy away from all of that kind of stu because they’re worried about their buildings getting trashed.”
Rather than a free-standing building, Thavis preferred living with her friends in a single-family house. The quality of the homes makes students excited to live there, she said.
Understanding and reciprocating the students’ love for having a good time sets the standard of Roland Realty’s game. A relationship cultivated between a mutual sense of respect and responsibility is part of what continues the company’s reputation with its tenants, according to Germano.
“It has that family vibe to it; we’re a small community,” Germano said. “Unity. We’re gonna take care of each other like we’re in this together. It’s not an adversarial relationship. I don’t know how that
A look into Best of CU 2024’s winner for Best Leasing Company
gets started. It’s not me against you, it’s us.”
On the west side of campus, students coined the term “Seniorland,” and the name stuck until it became a trademarked community. Between darties, kickbacks and Greek festivities throughout the year, Germano said the company tries to be there for the students.
“The kids look out for each other,” said Conway Bloomer, maintenance supervisor at Roland Realty. “They really know each other. They know when somebody’s not supposed to be in the neighborhood … So you get a di erent, friendly feel of everybody in the same (area); it’s not a big high rise building — it’s just more of a community.”
House pass down forms serve as another unique aspect of the 100-year-old family company, Germano said. Essentially, current tenants choose the next tenants of the property — this is the deciding factor of the location of many Greek “senior” houses on campus.
The pass down forms were so popular, the company had to implement o cial stamps on them to avoid forgery. Other groups paid money to outgoing tenants for their passdown forms, and according to Germano, tradition was born.
But Roland Realty’s character wasn’t built overnight. Germano said it took years of handing out yers and pam-
phlets to advertise to students and generations to get to where they stand currently.
With multiple other companies vying for the same clientele, property managers at Roland Realty heavily lean into their repertoire as friends of students. Amenities of high rise apartments could sway prospective tenants’ minds, but Germano said he hopes the Seniorland experience will settle the decision.
“They’ve got a hot tub, a cold tub, back into the hot — I can’t compete with that,” Germano said. “But that’s not what we’re selling. We’re selling an experience. When you come to live in Seniorland, you’re going to have the best year of your life.”
When a hole is broken, they don’t charge for the repair — Germano just asks tenants let them know. Every decision that a property company makes, Germano said Roland Realty would probably do the opposite.
“We are the mis t of campus,” Bloomer said. “But it’s the slight attraction. We’re sorry for partying.”
Check out Best of CU here!
Scan the QR code or visit dailyillini.com to read the full story plus more!
CANDICE ZHOU THE DAILY ILLINI
UI students build hopes, homes through Habitat for Humanity
STAFF WRITER
LAUREN CASTALDO
lnc4@dailyillini.com
The University’s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter is a student-run organization working with the City of Champaign to annually build a home for a family in need in the local area. This year, they will construct their 20th student-sponsored house.
“Habitat gives me an outlet to volunteer and help in the community, and you can see the direct impact while you’re doing it,” said Jillian Fanning, Habitat’s newsletter chair and junior in AHS. “You meet the family, and you get to see everything from the base being built to the walls going up.”
Throughout the year, Habitat for Humanity practices the organization’s mission: “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope,” while also raising funds and participating in various events.
Regarding the construction of the student-sponsored home, the members of Habitat for Humanity work handson. The students are responsible for building the majority of the house, using new skills, construction tools and a lot of teamwork.
This school year’s rst build took place on Saturday, Sept. 21, when 27 students went to the site and started on the home’s foundation, putting up the rst walls.
Weekly, the organization sends out sign-up sheets
where 30 spots are typically open for students to sign up to volunteer for construction work on Saturdays for an 8-9 hour shift.
Three or four construction workers from Champaign County’s Habitat for Humanity assist the students and handle some of the more advanced construction during the builds to ensure the safety of the student volunteers and the stability of the home.
Family members receiving the house also come to help with the build to put in their “sweat equity hours,” or the hours of work that the future owners must put into constructing the home since they receive their home from a no-interest loan.
During the typical Fall semester, before the weather changes, the students aim to nish the foundation, walls, roof and necessary basis of the home. Winter and early spring focus on the home’s interior.
Utilizing volunteer labor to aid community members struggling nancially or struggling to purchase a home did not begin at the University — Habitat for Humanity is an international organization.
The international organization began based on an idea in Americus, Georgia, from biblical scholar Clarence Jordan. Millard and Linda Fuller, the accredited founders of Habitat, aided and funded the organization.
Jordan and the Fuller couple came up with an idea of partnership housing where they would build houses for those in need after receiving money from fundraising.
As the idea developed, the Fullers took their concept to Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eventually, they returned to the United States, raised awareness, acquired volunteers and o cially developed Habitat for Humanity International in 1976.
Since the organization’s founding at the end of the 20th century, it has helped community members beyond just building the home.
Another main component of Habitat for Humanity is to have volunteers build the home and sell the partner families their completed home at cost through a no-interest mortgage. The students must fundraise a large sum to ensure this will be achievable for the future homeowners.
During the 2023-24 school year, the organization raised $43,413.37 through di erent events such as their Spikin’ for Homes volleyball tournament on Oct. 5, and its annual Broomball tournament.
The organization also runs a concession stand at Memorial Stadium during football games, where all proceeds go to their student-sponsored home.
“If you ever go to a football game and you see a Habitat for Humanity sign, that’s us,” said Susan Lim, co-fundraising director of Habitat and graduate student studying integrative biology. “We’re working the stand, selling and cooking the food. It’s really one of the biggest ways we raise money.”
So far this year, the organization has raised $8,942.49 of its $25,000 end-of-the-year goal
solely from the revenue of its concession stand at the past three home games.
Once their fundraising is complete, the organization receives a grant from State Farm at the end of the year, where the company has agreed to donate an amount that matches what the students had raised throughout the year.
“We have a ribbon cutting ceremony at the end of the year where we hand over the keys, and that’s typically when we hand over all of the money to Champaign County,” said Matt Beard, Habitat for Humanity’s director of builds and junior in LAS. “It’s just a yearly fundraising cycle starting from when the last house is completed.”
Throughout the year-long construction project, the students also connect with local community and family members who will move into the home once it is complete.
“I never have felt such a deep connection with the local community than working with Habitat for Humanity because I am not just directly contributing, but I am actually working with them, and it’s just very nice to get to know them,” Beard said.
Habitat for Humanity advocates for a more interpersonal relationship between students and the community.
“Since it’s a student-sponsored house, we are the ones actually handing over the keys to the owner,” Beard said. “Last year, I handed over the keys, and it was a really special experience to me, especially since we get to know them throughout the year.”
LLCs empower students living in residence halls
STAFF WRITER
GABRIEL KEDZIORA
gkedz2@dailyillini.com
Scattered across the various residence halls of the University lie the Living-Learning Communities. There are a total of 10 LLCs at the University, and each one helps connect students who share similar interests.
Students apply to join an LLC when they sign their University Housing contract. Students then write a short essay about why they want to live in the LLC, and upon being accepted, they pay a one-time fee that varies from $200 to $326 depending on the LLC.
The program fee goes toward resources and facilities provided to LLC residents by the University.
BUSINESS LLC
Located on the third and fourth of Nugent Hall, the Business LLC pro vides members with special courses and guest speakers. Residents of the business LLC have priority access to courses related to business and entrepreneurship. The program fee for the business LLC is $300.
EXPLORATION LLC
Located on the second and third oors of Weston
Hall, the Exploration LLC is the perfect place for students still exploring their interests.
The LLC o ers students community-focused events on global topics, international holiday celebrations and annual trips focused on learning about other cultures. The program fee for the Exploration LLC is $276.
GLOBAL CROSSROADS LLC
For students interested in global a airs and other cultures, the Global Crossroads LLC has them covered. Located in PAR, this LLC is designed for students interested in global events, international service and cultural learning.
Some of the amenities the LLC includes are special credit courses for students, an annual trip to Chicago and Global Crossroads co ee hours. The fee for the Global Crossroads LLC is
HONORS LLC
Located in Illinois Street Residence Hall, this LLC is exclusively for James Scholar or Campus Honors program students.
Designed around three pillars: inquiry, civic engagement and leadership, the LLC o ers a variety of events and resources to cultivate these qualities.
Some of these events include mu-
sic lessons, free pro fessional headshots and trivia nights.
The LLC also o two unique courses, LEAD 116: Honors Uncommon Reads, which explores social justice topics and in tersectional feminism, and DTX 180: Exercis ing Empathy explores the role of empathy in our everyday lives.
The program fee for the Honors LLC is $300.
“There were a lot of events just for the Honors LLC, which was really nice to kind of meet people in a small group,” said Emma Pekkarinen, freshman in Education and resident in the Honors LLC.
“There’s been a lot of really fun opportunities; like we had a ower arranging class that I got to do, which is a really nice way to de-stress,” Pekkarinen said.
Pekkarinen said she joined the LLC to meet new people and form new connections with others.
As a part of the LLC, Pekkarinen is taking the course LEAD 116: Honors Uncommon Reads, which has students read a book together and discuss it once a week. Pekkarinen is reading.
“I just really like how the class is small,” Pekkarinen said. “It feels more like a book club than a class, and we get to do a lot of activities and a lot of discussions that allow us to really interact with the text.”
INNOVATION LLC
The Innovation LLC is located on the fourth and oors of Townsend
This LLC features “The Garage,” a workspace with resources like a 3D printer, allowing for the pursuit of various creative interests.
Annual events like skills workshops and guest speakers are also ered.
LLC members will also take TE 200: Introduction to Innovation, which teaches students about the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The program fee for the Innovation LLC
Charlie Knight, sophomore in Engineering, is a resident of the Innovation LLC. Knight said he enjoys both the social and professional aspects of the LLC.
“One of the main things I appreciate about all the LLCs is that they provide a relatively small group of people you get to know,” Knight said. “To me, it is similar to Greek life in the way that one gets to meet a group of people over a long period of time. However, it requires much less nancial and social commitment.”
Want to read more about LLCs?
Scan the QR code or visit dailyillini.com to read the full story plus more!
Living in Squirrel City: A glimpse of life in a co-op
aceja4@dailyillini.com
In cooperative housing — more commonly known as “co-ops” — moving in is more than signing a lease; it’s an invitation to join a community.
A co-op is a communal living setup where residents divide household chores and resources to maintain the home, while connecting with others who share similar interests.
The living format also provides an option for affordable housing and a lifestyle that fosters teamwork.
The Champaign-Urbana area is home to 10 co-ops, which house University students and community
members alike. The Squirrel City co-op, located at 505 S. Race St. in Urbana, shows just how important a sense of community can be.
“Since living here, I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh, that sounds a lot like a fraternity or sorority,’ and that’s interesting to me, because before living here, I hadn’t really considered that,” said Pomona CarringtonHoekstra, current resident of the Squirrel City co-op. “I think people are joining coops for a similar reason.”
While members form lasting friendships and practical skills within their house, they’re also given opportunities to connect with other co-ops in the area.
The co-op community will often come together
for social events, including hikes, house shows and volunteer initiatives.
“If you are interested in community organizing, this is a great first step,” said Olivia Webb, former seven-year resident of Squirrel City. “If anybody feels invested in a cause, they automatically have a network of people that can mobilize.”
The idea of community living means residents must also contribute to the house — a trade-off of sorts.
To upkeep a home full of people, there are several tasks to be done. The system of responsibilities is laid out on a whiteboard, which hangs in the dining room of the Squirrel City home.
The chore system is designed to ensure that
all members have a manageable amount of tasks, preventing anyone from being overburdened. The process makes it so residents can limit time spent on housework and focus on other priorities.
“We have our cooking, our chores and our meeting, and everything else comes from that,” Webb said. “Five days a week, we have dinner at 7 p.m. Two people cook. So one night a week, your whole evening is kind of shot, but the rest of the week you get to eat hot food made for you, and leftovers.”
Every week, the co-op residents hold a meeting where household issues and changes are discussed as a group.
“You learn how to make decisions based on
AYAANA PRADHAN THE DAILY ILLINI
“If you are interested in community organizing, this is a great first step. If anybody feels invested in a cause, they automatically have a network of people that can mobilize.”
consensus, and talk to other people and disagree without devolving into fights,” Carrington-Hoekstra said.
“You can build up a lot of cooperation skills that translate really well, even to professional projects.”
Co-ops also offer a financial incentive for those looking to save. By pooling resources and sharing expenses, residents can find that their cost of living is lower compared to traditional housing.
“From an economic standpoint, it makes no sense for everyone to have their own lawnmower, right?” said Liz Clayton, current resident of Squirrel City. “If you had one shared thing amongst a group of people, that cuts down on waste. It makes you reliant on (other) people, which makes the network stronger.”
Exact rates vary depending on the house. In Squirrel City, however, members report they save considerably living in the co-op.
“It’s so stupid easy and so stupid cheap to live in these co-ops,” Clayton said.
People can discover co-op housing in a few different ways, including word of mouth or online ads. Clayton, who moved into Squirrel City last December,
Olivia Webb, former seven-year resident of Squirrel City.
explained she learned of the opportunity through an ad on Facebook.
“I was wanting to move into a house,” Clayton said. “I’ve had partners in the past who lived in co-ops, and I’ve always wanted to live in one, but I’m not a student, and I thought it was a student-only thing, and so I jumped on the opportunity.”
To join the Squirrel City co-op, prospective members go through an application process that includes emailing the membership coordinator, completing a questionnaire and attending an interview with house residents over dinner.
“When I was applying, I reached out on Facebook, but most people reach out via email. The ad had some questions I needed to answer, like if I’ve had experience living in a communal setting before,” Clayton said.
The most important part of the application process is the “dinnerview,” which allows members to assess whether or not the applicant would be a good fit for the house. The prospective member also gets a better sense of what life is like daily at the Squirrel City coop.
“People will prepare;
we have a couple of house members who have misophonia, hypersensitivity with food chewing noises or scraping of silverware,” Clayton said about the dinnerview. “Having an interview at dinner is really helpful to see if they’re compatible.”
Though one of Clayton’s responsibilities is to serve as membership coordinator of Squirrel City, she is not the only person responsible for deciding who joins the co-op. Clayton handles the initial outreach — guiding prospective members through the application process — but the final decision is reached by all current residents following the dinnerview.
“Liz is not making decisions on membership,” Carrington-Hoekstra said. “We all vote on members. Liz’s role is more of a facilitation thing, where she checks the house inbox and tells (people) whether they’re in as a member.”
Once a new member is accepted, the residents reconvene to decide how chores will be divided among everyone. The discussion allows the new member to contribute for the first time to decisions about the home.
This process helps to maintain balance, while
also making sure the household is well-kept and running smoothly.
As C-U grows as a community and housing options change frequently, co-op living arrangements like Squirrel City offer an alternative to traditional housing.
For students pursuing their education at the University, community members looking for a collaborative living environment, or anyone seeking more than just a place to live, the co-op living format is something to research and consider based on one’s personal needs.
“Everybody should live in something like this,” Webb said. “I don’t think that everybody wants to live in close quarters with people, but what I’ve learned that’s really valuable is how important community is to everyone. It’s really valuable to have a big network of people. It changes your whole life.”
Check out another story about communal living
Read it on page
Where do we have athletes from?
UI is at its carrying capacity, and it’s affecting us
THE DAILY ILLINI EDITORIAL BOARD opinions@dailyillini.com
In ecological terms, when a population outpaces its resources, the ecosystem is at risk of collapse. In the microcosm that is the University, this very well might be the case: The student population has spiked in recent years, threatening the structural integrity of the campus community.
The factors that contribute to a thriving campus must all work in tandem with one another, or the infrastructure supporting the current population is jeopardized. Therefore, it is critically important to gure out how we arrived at this instability. The Editorial Board believes it may have started with the gradual glamorization of attending our University given its recent labeling as a “public ivy.”
We would be remiss if we didn’t examine our University’s recent ascent in college rankings. In 2021 and 2022, the University was ranked as the 47th best college in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. In 2024, the same report put us at 33rd.
This year, the University admitted 9,008 new students. When we couple the record-high class size with lower acceptance rates, it becomes an easy conclusion that the University is reveling in their selectiveness while admitting more students than they ever have before.
As much as the fantastical image of a selective state university is a tantalizing prospect, it is a dangerous path for us to embark on. This year was just the rst time we’ve seen what happens when the University prioritizes clout.
However, we should acknowledge this year’s unprecedented circumstances. Earlier this year, the FAFSA form was delayed by three months, and less students than usual dropped after being admitted. These external factors also play a role in the community’s carrying capacity, and we must recognize that if we want a holistic idea of the situation.
Regardless, current students are still being forced to adapt to overwhelming crowd sizes. Places once seen as refuges for students, including the ARC or some libraries, are now burdened by the sheer number of undergraduate students.
Dining halls have become increasingly less convenient for students as lines for food extend out the doors and latenight snack staples 57 North and TerraByte have barren shelves more often than not. These issues leave students with minimal food options and in some instances, so many unused dining dollars expire before they can spend them.
However, student concerns stretch beyond simple inconveniences with the e ects of the University’s overadmittance being felt daily.
While the University took preventative actions by o ering meal swipes and $2,000 incentives for
upperclassmen to break their housing contracts, freshmen were still roomed with Resident Advisers — or placed in dorm-converted study rooms. Though this might sound like a sweet deal for upperclassmen, it puts additional stress on the already competitive housing market, pushing students to live farther and farther from campus.
These band-aid solutions to the University’s blunder treat current students as an afterthought.
Relatedly, four weeks after classes started, Service Employees International Union Local 73 went on strike, exacerbating many of the existing issues concerning students. Considering the current state of housing and dining halls, the University could and should have taken every measure to prevent this avoidable outcome.
By prioritizing new students over current students, the University has drastically reduced the quality of life for everyone, including newly admitted students and the local community — this is especially felt in public transportation usage.
Despite MTD restoring bus services to pre-pandemic levels, spaces are still limited for students and community members; with overcrowding at its worst at the top of every hour as students rush to class. Even with e orts to mitigate packed buses and encourage student feedback, resources are still limited.
As for the students pushed to the border of Champaign-
Urbana, due to limited housing, access to a close bus stop will be hard to come by.
Amy Snyder, deputy managing director of MTD, expressed concern about the current uncertainty surrounding the University’s direction, with the actions of the community being very much dependent on the University’s next steps.
“We want to be responsive as we’re all trying to gure out what is the future of this campus,” Snyder said. “Are we going to go north of 60,000 students? Is that who we are?”
No — that is not who we are. Even though we’re seeing a consistent upward trend in applicants, and freshman class sizes as a result, this is not a trend to be proud of.
The Editorial Board hopes that the over-admittance we are seeing is the anomalous result of unlikely factors and is not indicative of the University’s admissions policy moving forward.
We ask the University to assure its current students — who are experiencing the brunt of the decreased quality of life — that they will learn from this experience and curtail admissions to ensure that the fragile balance of this University’s ecosystem is not threatened. Our population is evidently outpacing its resources but we must avoid a threat to our structural integrity at all costs.
We ask the University: Is it worth sacri cing the quality of our experience for the sake of your growing enrollment numbers?
The unexpected loneliness of off-campus living
COLUMNIST
RAPHAEL RANOLA rrano2@dailyillini.com
When I first moved into my apartment my sophomore year, I couldn’t help but notice a dreadful feeling of loneliness — one which I’m sure we all know but dismiss as: “That’s what adulthood is.”
I’d like to push back on this notion. I am 20 years old, my rose-colored glasses are still slightly tinted and I don’t think adulthood should feel that way.
With this in mind — housing crisis aside — it’s understandable why the University deems it necessary for freshmen to live in some communal housing situation — preferably a University residence hall.
In a dorm, students are forced to use shared spaces and resources like study rooms, kitchens and bathrooms, creating a sense of community and knowing your neighbor, for better or worse.
Resident Advisers, whose jobs are partly to foster community building through hosting events where you can meet your peers, help in this regard.
But the heavy lifting when it comes to community-building occurs in the dining hall, where daily meals become social gatherings and students regularly interact with one another.
You’re corralled with people your age experiencing
the same, new things simultaneously. The University knows this, and they want you to be successful.
With how things are set up, you’d have to be antisocial to come away from freshman year without meeting at least one person with whom you can tolerate eating PAR stir fry.
I’ll admit, sharing a bathroom with half of your floor is a nightmare that most freshmen are keen to avoid, and instead opt for the privatized comforts of an apartment. But — just for fun — let’s think about dorms the way economists think about cities.
Take some of the negative externalities behind cities: noise pollution (your neighbors’ dorm party might be loud), pollution (your neighbors might not know how to flush) and disease outbreaks (the classic Frat Flu) are such commonalities.
But there are positive externalities to a city, called “agglomeration economies.” Mostly, they deal with production increases — but bear with me. One deals with “matching,” which, in urban economics, relates to labor markets — finding the career that best suits your skillset — and meeting new, interesting people. Large numbers of people in a shared space allow for random, serendipitous encounters and events that make life fun and interesting.
For example, identifying a friend based on whose
slides just entered the shower next to yours and striking up a long conversation is a uniquely dorm-related experience.
Another positive externality is “learning.” Proximity allows for both the exchange of ideas and spontaneous social learning.
What classes to take, which RSOs to join and places to study — these are the conversations you have in the dining halls that lead to new opportunities to expand your social network and improve your college experience.
All of this can be applied to college life in general, but I’d argue it’s easiest to reap the benefits of spontaneous matching and social learning while living in a crowded residence hall.
Many people think implementing medium-density housing options like duplexes, triplexes and bungalows is a viable solution to our country’s housing crisis. Couple that with the idea of “15-minute cities” — where a resident’s needs can be easily accessed within 15 minutes — and “third places,” which are spaces outside of the home and the workplace where socialization occurs and… oh.
We’re talking about a college town.
Colleges are full of third places. When I return to my hometown, I feel an incredible sense of annoyance that the nearest non-chain coffee shop is about three miles away while, in Champaign, I have my pick of
the litter only a short walk away.
We’ve got it good here — grocery trips can be done using our robust public transit system, there’s no shortage of third places to meet new people and there are lots of interesting events to attend on any given day.
One of the reasons people look so fondly at their college days is because collegiate life offers an experience that can’t be replicated. This is in part because college towns offer these benefits — and many more — which many adults will never enjoy again.
A column by Nadia Anees at the University of California at Davis’ The California Aggie even argues walkability results in nostalgic recollections of college life. Ultimately, I’m glad to be living in an apartment. But I miss the feeling of community offered by the residence halls, and, by extension, appreciate the feeling of community offered by being an undergraduate attending a college. When my four years are up, what then — should I move to a city?
Want to read about resident advisers being placed in dorm rooms with their freshman residents?
Read it on page
You can learn to love communal living
COLUMNIST
HAILEY CHO
hhcho2@dailyillini.com
Nearly six weeks into my junior year at the University, I’ve come to a startling realization: I no longer dislike communal living.
More than that, I’ve discovered I enjoy living with three roommates in a house full of sorority sisters more than my apartment on Green Street last year. This idea that was once inconceivable in my mind is now a simple truth. In the little over two years I’ve spent on campus, I have had a taste of almost every living option there is.
I served my time in the dorms at Florida Avenue Residence Hall during my freshman year, eyes wide and expectations low. Even though I had friends from home going to the same college, I didn’t want to risk jeopardizing any of my relationships over an argument about messy closets or unmade beds. Therefore, I selected a random roommate — a decidedly neutral experience.
My freshman roommate was perfectly respectful and sweet, but we never became more than acquaintances who shared a room. I recall baking dozens of cookies at my brother’s apartment and knocking on every door on my oor in hopes that one would lead to a lifelong friendship. In reality, the most I got out of it was a few pleasantly surprised “thanks.”
Despite the overwhelming amount of media that suggests otherwise, college and dorm life isn’t always the best time of a person’s life. In fact, the American College Health Association reported that last academic year, 51.5% of students scored positive for signi cant loneliness.
All of this said, I was unsurprisingly excited to live in an apartment for my sophomore year. I had my own room, kitchen and the ability to shower without wearing ip- ops. The rush of freedom was a refreshing change, and I never once found myself missing my old dorm.
Even with all of these bene ts, a couple of fairly decent roommates and one wonderful friend, I still felt as if I was missing out on my college experience for a good chunk of my time living there. Funnily enough, living in a constant comfort zone meant I was less likely to attend events with my sorority sisters or go out with friends when I could stay in my secluded unit instead.
I still developed meaningful relationships with my sisters,
ANNA FEDCZUK THE DAILY ILLINI
but it felt as though there was a threshold on how close we could really get before I would have to depart for the night back to my own place.
It feels as though it is a universal truth on college campuses that living in a Greek house is an expense, not an amenity of being part of the organization. However, in my time at this house, I’ve deepened my friendships and discovered facets of people I never would have known otherwise.
It isn’t a unique circumstance. With housing prices on the rise, many have turned to communal living outside of college campuses and found themselves pleasantly surprised. One BBC article found it’s the social connection within these “intentional communities” that lead these roommates to have such a high quality of happiness in their lives.
While I have found all of this to be true, I also believe that the people who make up the environment you live in are especially conducive to whether or not you enjoy your communal living experience.
A group of roommates is not synonymous with a
community. For example, one article from The New York Times observed homes shared by refugees or LGBTQ+ individuals to be comforting because of the shared experiences residents faced.
This doesn’t mean you can only love communal living if you’re in Greek life or are best friends with your roommates. Building a home means committing to shared experiences and free time with whoever you cohabitate with — it’s these experiences that truly make or break communal living.
As someone who cherishes peace and quiet, I understand the reluctance to sacri ce additional time alone. It can feel so much easier to close your door and let time oat away. However, I can honestly say there has not been a second I’ve spent living in my home that I would’ve traded for another night by myself.
I have the rest of my life to stand on my own, to sit on my phone and doom scroll away precious hours of sleep.
But I have less than two years left at this school, and I want to spend them with the people I love. Those whose laughs have now become immediately recognizable to me. Those who make the most mundane of activities feel like memories being stitched into my mind — a cliche that I can’t even cringe at because of its truth.
This second family is one that will do anything with me, even sit in silence when I’m in need of the quiet.
