DE Asst. Features Editor

Standing in a concrete square room with one window, two beds and a sink, Danielle West stares outside wondering if she will ever get out of what she calls her small prison.

West, a freshman in physical therapy from Calumet City, lives in a dorm room at Thompson Point, a University Housing area. She said she is tired of coming home to the same room everyday and needs a change.

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I have one room where I sleep, eat and do homework, she said. I kind of feel like I am in some type of prison. I really need to decide where I want to live next year.

According to SIUC University Housing demographics records from Fall 1995, freshman make up about 57 percent of the SIUC students who live on-campus. Sophomores have the choice to continue living in University Housing or move to one of eight other University-approved living areas off campus, and juniors and seniors can choose between dorms or off-campus houses and apartments.

Patrick Brumleve, supervisor of SIUC Off-Campus Housing, said the idea behind giving students a choice in living arrangements was more of a service than a benefit.

In 1971, a lot of juniors and seniors felt they didn’t need to live in the dorms anymore, he said. They wanted more of an independent living situation that the dorms did not provide. So the University set up the criteria.

For facilities which are privately run to classify as a University-approved living centers they must:Provide a live-in resident assistant, maintain a Housing Code Certificate of Compliance issued by the city, supply a kitchen/cooking area or a building meal plan, maintain a fire alarm and be inspected by both the Carbondale Fire Department and the supervisor of Off-Campus Housing.

Currently, seven sophomore-qualified housing areas exist outside of the University. They include Ambassador Hall, 600 W. Freeman; Ambassador Studio, 504 S. Rawlings; Forest Hall, 820 W. Freeman; Garden Parks Apartments, 607 E. Park; Wall Street Quads, 1207 S. Wall; Creekside Condominiums, 711 S. Wall and Grand Place, 900 E. Grand.

Off-campus housing facilities approved for freshman include Stevenson Arms, 600 W. Mill, and University Hall, 1101 S. Wall.

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Neilly Jones, a sophomore in advertising from Knoxville, said she chose to move off-campus to Wall Street Quads because packing up and leaving the dorms every break was inconvenient.

I always had to go home every semester break because the school closed down, she said. I could never keep a job now if I had to go home every couple of months.

Providing a place to live year-round is a big reason sophomores choose to live off campus, Hugh Hughes, manager of sophomore-approved Forest Hall said.

We are open all year round, he said. Most of my occupants need to remain over breaks for jobs or other reason, and cannot afford to relocate every couple of months.

Jim McGary, an undecided sophomore from Olympia Fields, lives in University Hall. McGary said a relaxed atmosphere was a deciding factor in his decision.

The resident assistants in the dorms make you feel like they are trying to bust you all the time, he said. The RAs here are really trying to help you out and not be enforcers.

Hughes said off-campus, University-approved housing tries to provide an independent living atmosphere by not planning floor meetings or group programming.

Most of the residents are so busy, we try to let them live at their own pace, he said. They have their own agendas and school, so we don’t bother them with participation in programming.

While independent living may be an important quality of off-campus housing, on-campus housing stresses involvement, a University Housing employee said.

An advantage of living on-campus is the opportunity to make friends and participate in activities, Paulette Curkin, University Housing programming coordinator said.

In the halls on campus, they are structured to have their own governments, she said. Students get the opportunity to meet and involve themselves in the programming provided by the hall governments.

Meeting people is important for new students, but convenience is the most important reason to living in the dorms, Kwa Mister, a sophomore in anthropology from Cahokia, said. He said he appreciates the proximity the dorms have to other campus buildings.

Right now, I can’t be far from the buildings, he said. It takes me about 10 minutes to walk to class from Mae Smith, and that’s perfect.

When the pros and cons of different housing arrangements are analyzed, West said she is still uncertain where she will live next year.

With no job, no car and with most of her friends living on campus, however, she said she is leaning more toward living in the dorms. She said the convenience of the dorms may be too tempting an offer not to move.

I don’t have time to worry about rent and utilities, she said. Everything is packaged as a convenience in the dorms. Food is provided, garbage is taken out and I am right on campus. I really can’t afford other luxuries like groceries right now.

A list for sophomore-approved housing rates is available through the Housing office. The last day to reserve an on-campus room for Fall 1996 is March 1.