University Housing Services searches for new residential solutions

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State University has canceled its plans for a new residence hall, but other housing options are still in the works.

University President Aondover Tarhule announced that the project was not moving forward at the State of the University address last semester. According to University Housing Services Assistant Marketing Director Hillary Campos, the reasons are fairly obvious.

“It’s very out in the open that the budget is seen as a potential hurdle right now,” Campos said.

Despite this, housing is still looking for other solutions. This past semester, ISU brought in its largest freshman class ever, but there have been questions about if there’s enough space for all the students.

“While new residence hall construction is not moving forward at this time, we are actively exploring alternative solutions,” Campos said. “One of them being certified housing; that remains a viable option.”

Certified housing is a fairly common practice for many universities, where off-campus, third-party living spaces will enter into a partnership with the university to provide student housing.

Another issue housing has been facing is the overcrowded dorms. Some students were reportedly housed in the dorm lounges, though Campos maintains that those have now been fully vacated.

“We obviously do recognize that there is an ongoing demand for housing,” Campos said. “We are still actively collaborating with our campus partners, and we’re well aware that this is a concern of students.”