Springtime at Syracuse University is a chaotic and lively time for students on campus. Between bouts of sunshine and surprise snowstorms, students are busy making plans for the upcoming semester. In the midst of planning class schedules, they are also tasked with choosing housing for the next academic year.

Whether students choose to live on campus in a residence hall or in off-campus housing, the housing hunt can be a grueling battle. Many students scramble for a convenient, affordable and safe place to call home for the academic year. The lack of ideal options for SU student housing breeds a stressful selection process for students.

Since students are required to live on campus for two academic years, the housing selection process becomes highly competitive for second-year students looking to live on SU’s main campus. There are eight freshman and eight sophomore designated residence halls on main campus, with Haven Hall and DellPlain Hall housing first- and second-year students. The low capacity, unideal location and outdated furnishings of the sophomore dorms, though, make selecting the perfect choice difficult.

Oren Lyons, which is classified as a sophomore residence hall, is located off of Euclid Avenue past Shaw Hall. With only three floors, the building holds about 40 returning students. Other sophomore dorms also have smaller sizes in comparison to freshman dorms. Marion Hall and Kimmel Hall have three floors, while freshman buildings like Day Hall, Sadler Hall and Boland Hall have eight.

Additionally, second-year students are expected and encouraged to utilize SU’s South Campus, located about a mile away from the Main Campus. South Campus has three Skyhall residence halls for students looking to live in a dorm and also offers apartment style living in different neighborhoods off of Skytop Road.

SU students may feel skeptical about South Campus living due to its inconvenient proximity to classes and reputation for crime, however. The Department of Public Safety reported 116 on-campus burglaries in 2020, and all but one took place in a residence facility. DPS also investigated a string of burglaries that took place on South Campus in September 2021.

Freshman Amanda Koehler recently participated in the housing selection process for the 2022-23 school year. She struggled to find a comfortable option with a late housing selection time slot.

“I knew I didn’t want to live on South Campus because it’s far and none of my friends were living there. It was difficult to choose because each housing option has such pros and such cons,” Koehler said.

SU’s recent acquisition of The Marshall, the luxury apartment complex located on the student hub of Marshall Street, was slated to become the prime on-campus option for upperclassmen. Its sticker price, however, may outweigh the amenities and location, charging an anticipated $1,665 per month, per occupant for a two bedroom apartment in the 2022-23 school year.

Off-campus housing is an entirely other battle. Some students struggle to find a prime location or people to sublet from while occupants study abroad. But the biggest gap in off-campus living stems from the luxury apartments surrounding campus and how intensely they juxtapose other off-campus housing options.

Apartment buildings such as The 505 on Walnut and Theory Syracuse lie on the outskirts of campus and are sought after by upperclassmen for their convenient amenities like shuttle services to main campus, indoor gyms and modern finishes. These options are expensive and favor students based on their economic class, however.

SU has taken a step in the right direction with the announcement of a review of university housing in 2019, stating that on-campus housing needs to be better aligned with student preference. This included adding more apartment and suite style choices with updated amenities and creating a heightened community engagement with expanding student services to certain neighborhoods. These plans have yet to be put into action, however.

SU should begin these plans promptly so that all students can be comfortably housed in the upcoming years. Renovations should begin this summer for more outdated buildings, like the sophomore dorms. They should include updated furniture, hardwood floors and pod bathrooms.

If SU follows through on plans of revamping and redesigning student housing, the housing process will be much less stressful for all students. Students deserve favorable options for their living situations, including accessible locations, updated features and more accommodations. Housing should be an exciting prospect for all, not a cause for stress.

Cara Steves is a freshman magazine, news and digital journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at cgsteves@syr.edu.

Published on March 30, 2022 at 8:39 pm