The Daily Pennsylvanian :: Elizabeth Song

To stay on campus or move off? That is the question of the moment.

Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the hand holding and formalities that surround on-campus living or end them by joining the off-campus exodus.

Before I begin, let me disclose a little bit about myself. After two years of blissful on-campus living, I moved into an off-campus apartment complex with a few friends.

Why? I wanted to try something a little different. It was cheaper. I thought I was taking a step toward becoming an independent woman. And, like all those DP ads claimed, I had the vague impression that it was the "cool" thing to do.

These days, I live in the shadow of the high rises in a place called Hamilton Court. Fatal shootings, shady strip joints, night club violence? Yeah, that's the one.

Living outside the auspices of the College House system has a dark side. Be prepared to deal with anything from negligent landlords to intermittent Internet access and frozen pipes.

Imagine this scenario: It's a cold January morning. You wake up and find a homeless woman sleeping in the living room. That's exactly what happened to College senior Lottie Hudspeth when a homeless woman made her way through the unlocked front door, raided the pantry and fell asleep on the floor next to the couch.

It gets worse. "It turned out that she had lice, so we had to get our whole house fumigated," Hudspeth said.

You also learn some lessons the hard way. For instance, the trash doesn't take itself out. The light bulb isn't going to change itself. The vomit in the common room isn't going to clean itself up.

Still, according to Miki Farcas, director of the Office of Off-Campus Living, about 5,600 undergrads lived off campus last semester -- that's over 40 percent.

Given the numbers and the hype, it's no surprise that bright-eyed freshmen regard off-campus living as a utopia of sorts. No RAs? No security guards? It feels a lot like libertine heaven.

That's far from the truth. Your landlord isn't your mother. Lock your doors. Remember to pay your rent. Take care of the utilities. Call the cable company. Trudge over and get yourself a recycling bin.

Then there's the lease, encrypted in pseudo-legalese - I prayed that I wasn't signing my soul to the devil when I put pen to paper.

"Once you put the money down and once you sign the lease, you're basically hooked," Farcas said. "Read the small print and make sure to get a copy of every document that you sign." So if you decide to make the move, know your rights as a tenant before signing your soul away.

Meanwhile, Penn brochures tantalized me with what I was missing out on: "proximity to classes, enhanced safety features and carefree living." Roughly, this translates into five-minute walks to class, burly Allied-Barton guards and a diligent janitorial staff.

Amen to that.

More importantly, however, college is a rare opportunity to meet people you never would otherwise, expand your social network and engage with people who think differently.

But right now, I have no clue who my neighbors are.

That's why I'm headed back - for community and convenience.

Sure, I'll miss telling people in a suave voice: "I live off campus." It sounds grown-up, mature. I can handle the bills. I can throw raucous parties. I don't need to bother swiping those pesky PennCards.

But no matter where you live, it's the people you live with who count. And college houses are great for building community. I love it when the security guards greet you with a smile every morning. And did I mention the free food and nifty events?

My off-campus apartment complex, on the other hand, has all the grisly charms of a Victorian meat-packing plant (We lovingly dub it HamCo).

But I'll miss the memories. And I've definitely learned something by assuming the burdens of independence: Don't get caught up in the hype. Beware of the hidden hassles of leaving off campus.

Which brings me to my final point: Anybody want to sublet my place this summer?

Elizabeth Song is a College junior from Clemmons, NC. Her e-mail is song@dailypennsylvanian.com. Striking a Chord appears Tuesdays.

Comments (7)

You also learn some lessons the hard way. For instance, the trash doesn't take itself out. The light bulb isn't going to change itself. The vomit in the common room isn't going to clean itself up. It doesn't!?!?! Oh, thank goodness for this briliant editorial!

Good article. It would be nice, however, if the Penn College House system actually fostered a real sense of community, like some of our peer institutions a bit further north... Also, according to my calculations, if 5600 undergraduates live off campus, that equates to 58%, not 40% as you mentioned.

I still remember the disgusting and disrespectful way I was treated by my landlord in West Philadelphia- as if I was not entitled to the most basic services, like heat and preventing vermin infestation, and that if the rent wasn't paid right on time there would be trouble. Later, I became a lawyer and had the opportunity to hound landlords in Court to the point of devastating them financially. It was a thrill indeed.

You fail to mention the fact that on-campus housing is not available to all students who want it. There is not enough room in the dorms for all undergrads to live on campus. The housing lottery takes place so late that many of the best off-campus housing options are taken. As a freshman living in Gregory (quite possibly the WORST dorm on campus) I found myself with very limited options - 1. staying in my room in the dorm; 2. entering the housing lottery, possibly being denied a spot in the high rises, and being forced to live on 45th street; or 3. entering the mad scramble in December to sign a lease on a house near campus. I elected to do #3, and I am currently living in a dump on 41st Street owned by a landlord who is mean, lazy, and cheap. Furthermore, students who elect to study abroad one semester are unable to live in campus housing because the university makes it impossible to live in the dorm for only half the year. Obviously, if I were given the choice, I would want to live in campus housing. It is safer and more convenient. Penn should build more dorms and guarantee on-campus housing to all students who are interested. Perhaps this would put more pressure on landlords in the area to keep their properties in better shape and provide better service.

You could have summed this op-ed up in one sentence: "If you're an irresponsible person, college housing is the best place for you." As someone who has lived on- and off-campus, I'll say that landlords tend to be more responsive than the University because you have them by the balls; just threaten not to pay rent. My on-campus housing at Hill in 2004 included plenty of theft within the dorm and plenty of people treating me like a little kid.

True, there was deadly violence pretty close to Hamco, but Harnwell had items stolen from unlocked rooms and Mayer had a stalker. Being on campus isn't a guarantee of safety. As for Ms. Hudspeth, that's unfortunate, but she's lucky it was just a homeless woman and not someone with malicious intentions. Leaving your door unlocked five minutes from West Philadelphia is asking for trouble. Negligent landlords? Facilities requests are a nightmare. Intermittent internet access? AirPennNet works about half the time. Frozen pipes? Stouffer had no heat for the first week or so after it got cold anyway. Changing a lightbulb takes about thirty seconds, and Hill's common areas/bathrooms are cleaned once every week or so. Very well written article, I just don't agree with it. Penn Housing is almost as bad as Penn Dining, and I have no regrets since moving off.

I agree with the author. Seems like there is plenty of time after graduation to experience the "joys" of renting. Why not give yourself a little extra free time and less aggravation while you're in college? And the off-campus choices at Penn are pretty dismal unless you have $$$. But on-campus housing could definitely be improved as well. Pick your poison..

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