To Stay or Not to Stay?

Many graduate students are faced with the tough choice of whether or not to move to Center City. After four years living on and off campus in West Philadelphia as a Penn undergraduate, first-year Wharton graduate student Doug Hagan recently decided that the increased amount of social opportunities provided by Center City were too much to pass up, and decided to leave University City for downtown Philadelphia. Attitudes like Hagan's are becoming increasingly common among Penn graduate students, with hundreds leaving West Philadelphia for the safety and excitement of Center City. As a result, University City, which once housed a large majority of grad students, has lost nearly half of its graduate student population in the past decade Last fall, 43 percent of all graduate students who lived off campus called Center City home. Only 23 percent of graduate students who did not live in Penn dormitories lived in West Philadelphia. In 1988-89, by contrast, only 1,557 graduate students, 25 percent of the total, lived in Center City, with 3,693, or 60 percent, living in University City. Also last fall, just 721 graduate students chose to live in on-campus -- mainly in the graduate towers at 36th and Chestnut streets and in Mayer Hall on the 3800 block of Spruce Street. About one-tenth of those living on campus served as residential staff members in undergraduate dorms. Graduate students facing housing decisions must weigh several different factors ranging from safety to social opportunities. And considering the limited budgets of many grad students, price is often a huge factor. On-campus residence halls are usually more expensive than off-campus housing in West Philadelphia, although Center City apartments are generally higher priced than those in University City. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the graduate towers is $815 per month. Average figures for both Center City and University City were not available from the Office of Off-Campus Living. A two-bedroom apartment in Mayer Hall goes for $1,050 per month. University officials admit that living in Center City currently has several advantages over living in West Philadelphia, particularly in terms of neighborhood safety and retail options. By making improvements to University City, Penn officials hope to reverse the exodus of students to Center City, according to Mihaela Farcas, assistant director of the Office of Off-Campus Living. "The University is really trying to turn things around and make sure there are good enough places for graduates to come back to [in University City]," Farcas said. Farcas cited neighborhood projects such as UC Brite, a University project designed to improve lighting throughout the area. Penn is also trying to improve the area's retail mix by attracting businesses, such as a new movie theater and a fresh produce market, to the 40th Street corridor. Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said officials are trying to lure more grad students back to University City because "graduate students tend to be good neighbors." Farcas added that living in University City already has many advantages over Center City. Many students who consider moving to the area find the apartments to be too high-priced, she said. Although Farcas' office does not advise students on where to live, she encourages them to look at the University City area because of the generally lower prices. "People should live wherever they want to live. But they should explore the University City area because it has good things to offer for relatively low prices," she said. "The area is not being done justice by the way it is portrayed." Sanjay Udani, the chairperson of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, said that "concerns over safety and security" in West Philadelphia lead many graduate students to choose to live in Center City, although he acknowledged that such perceptions may not be completely accurate. But some students said they had many valid reasons for moving to Center City, an area which saw a reduction in crime on many of its major streets in 1996. Hagan said social opportunities, rather than safety concerns, were the largest factor in his decision to move Center City. He said he lived in West Philadelphia as a Penn undergraduate and wanted to try something different this time around. Also, he said he knew many of his friends have already moved to Center City. Living near friends was also an important factor for first year Law student Jeffrey Daman, although it led him to make the opposite decision -- he decided to remain close to campus in order to remain near friends in Penn's Orthodox Jewish community. "My life is centered around my study at the Law School," he said. "Grad students are busy people and have no time to be going to Center City." Hagan, who is the treasurer of GAPSA, said he "feels much more part of the city" now. University City, on the other hand, seemed like more of a campus atmosphere to him. Only about 10 percent of graduate student chose to live on campus this year, Associate Vice President for Campus Services Larry Moneta said. In spite of this low percentage, graduate residences are nearly filled to capacity. Of about 900 spaces available to graduate students on campus, "92 or 93 percent are currently allocated," Moneta said. Moneta said many graduate students living on campus are first-year or international graduate students. Since many of these students do not visit the University before matriculating, on-campus housing is a convenient option, he said. Students living on campus may live in either of the graduate towers or in Mayer Hall. Mayer is equipped with a playground and other facilities in order to accommodate students with families. Although some students agreed with Moneta's assessment of the advantages of on-campus living, others felt the buildings did not provide value for their dollar. Nursing student Wanna Phahuwatanakorn, a native of Thailand, said she likes living in the graduate towers because "they give me safety and security." She added that the building is mostly satisfactory. By contrast, second-year Law student Steven Greenfield, who lived in the graduate towers last year, described them as "small, cramped and overpriced" and not "worth the money that was charged." This year, Greenfield lives off campus in West Philadelphia because he "wanted to live like a human being." The grad towers are slated for renovations to turn them into one bedroom apartments during the next decade. The University will also construct graduate townhouses near the towers to provide more attractive housing and an integrated community on campus for graduate students. Another option open to graduate students is serving as a graduate fellow in the undergraduate dormitories. Graduate fellows receive a free room and some free meals a week. Udani, a fifth-year Engineering graduate student who has lived in Hill College House for five years as a graduate fellow, said he is in the "unique people category" because most people "take [campus life] for a year or two and that's it."

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