Summer housing should be for everyone

Living in Centennial Commons over the summer after spending my first two years in dorms was life changing. The town houses are beautiful and a significant upgrade, even if they weren’t quite move-in ready.

When my roommates and I arrived during the last week of May, our new home hadn’t been properly cleaned. There was black hair clogging the shower drain, and the dryer still contained lint from the previous residents. It wasn’t the best first impression.

Still, even with those issues, living in Centennial Commons was a huge step up from Margretta Hall—though Margretta will always have a special place in my heart. I am grateful that CSB gave me the opportunity to live on campus this summer, and it’s an experience I won’t forget.

That experience also made me realize CSB is missing a valuable opportunity. Currently, summer housing is largely reserved for students participating in CSB+SJU-affiliated programs, such as research or campus jobs. While those students should absolutely continue to have priority, I think CSB should also open additional summer housing to students who get internships in the Stearns County area.

This summer, I was fortunate enough to find the best of both worlds. I interned part time at St. Cloud LIVE while also working in the Registration Office at SJU. That allowed me to gain valuable professional experience while continuing to live on campus. From what I could tell, very few students were able to take advantage of a similar arrangement.

Centennial Commons only has room for 124 students, with four to each house, but currently they let Johnnies live in Luetmer during the summer, and I think we should have the opportunity to do the same if there are more of us living on campus.

Expanding summer housing for students with local internships would benefit everyone. Students would have more opportunities to gain career experience without worrying about finding an apartment for only a few months. At the same time, CSB could fill otherwise vacant housing and generate additional revenue during the summer.

My only other frustration was the transition from summer housing to fall housing.

The communication surrounding move-out and move-in dates was unnecessarily confusing. Summer housing officially ended Aug. 1, but many students continued working well into August before classes began later that month. It was unclear whether students would have housing between those dates, and emails from Residential Life didn’t always align with the information listed in the housing portal for Late Stay requests.

Everything ultimately worked out—I was able to move directly into my fall housing assignment on Aug. 1—but only after calling Residential Life to confirm that was actually possible.

Summer housing at CSB is an incredible resource, and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to experience it. With a few improvements, it could become an even greater asset for the campus community.