In the USC residence hall, two students share a dorm room, but a new proposal
from the university gives the option to add a third roommate at a reduced cost.
Will the cramped rooms be worth the discount?
How would it sound to have an additional $784 in your pocket?
That’s what the Housing and Residence Life department offers students in the University Student Center if they agree to take in a third roommate for Spring 2016.
Or, for those not living in the USC, they could transfer into a dorm open to having a third roommate and also get the option to pay only $3,000. Both options allow USF St. Petersburg to accommodate additional students with the large demand.
The moment I received the email from Scott Hendershot, housing assignments and operations coordinator, explaining this new opportunity, my roommate and I discussed the option and agreed to opt out.
I bet some might wonder why anyone would say no to such an offer, especially since a majority of the dorms in Resident Hall One consist of four or eight students with the housing fee costing anywhere between $3,174 and $3,922. This deal of having only two other roommates and paying less than everyone else sounds great on paper.
As a USC resident, though, I can vouch that the dorm’s design would make it less than adequate for three people to live comfortably.
A kitchen is included in all three RHO dorm room layouts. This additional seating space prevents the room from feeling too claustrophobic. Each room with two or more students has ample space for two desks, dressers and built-in closets.
However, USC dorms consist of one large room with an adjacent bathroom. My roommate and I can barely fit both of our beds and desks on the longest wall of the dorm.
Adding a third bed, whether it be another single twin or replacing one of the current beds with a bunk, would make an uncomfortable cluster without any space for extra seating or even two sets of the regular dorm furniture.
Some students may not care about the added difficulties that would come along with bringing a third roommate into the picture, including a tight shower schedule and having to somehow avoid waking someone up if there are varying sleeping schedules.
No matter how tempting it sounds to get money back, the comfort factor prevents me from wanting to take the university up on their new deal.
With the amount of students desperate for housing, I’m sure this won’t be the only option that opens up.
