Movin' out: Positives of off-campus living outweight negatives

By Andrew Neumann
Collegian Staff
March 29, 2006

Each spring, students at La Salle University begin the always tantalizing Housing Selection Process. As students rush to find the right number of people, hastily add up points and decide where they want to live, it becomes such a hassle that some people question why they should bother with it at all. For the last two years, I found myself asking that very question, until the answer dawned on me about a month ago: I won’t.

The reality of my decision to move was a little more in-depth than the aforementioned scenario, but the point is still the same: living off-campus is a viable alternative for a variety of reasons. The first and most important factor to consider is money. Comparing the prices of on-campus living to the cost of rent and utilities for an off-campus house reveals a savings of about $4,000 a year in my case. Obviously, the numbers vary on a case-to-case basis, but I have not spoken to one person who didn’t save money by moving off-campus. For destitute college students, the extra money is crucial in allowing more money for essentials, like 3 a.m. cheesesteak runs.

Another plus is the freedom. To a great number of people, that means the freedom to have parties. And while that may or may not be a deciding factor for some people (my lawyer advises me not to comment), this freedom is in a much broader sense. First, the freedom to come and go as you please is heightened by the elimination of dorm closings. If you want to stay at school during Thanksgiving because you can’t stand your family, you can. Same thing for Christmas and summer breaks. Additionally, you don’t have to worry about fire drills, or the always popular pulling of the alarm at 4 a.m. There are no mandatory floor meetings or room inspections. Obviously, there are meetings with the landlord, and he can let himself in, but there’s very little chance of being written up by him if he doesn’t approve of what you have in your house.

I would be remiss if I didn’t address the main concern people have about off-campus living: safety. As many are aware, crime is a reality on La Salle’s campus and beyond. A majority of local residents are very nice, hardworking people, but there are also quite a few muggings, burglaries and occasional shootings. Because of these facts, a lot of people are skeptical about leaving the umbrella of La Salle Security. While these concerns are well-founded, simply taking common-sense precautions can greatly reduce the chances of becoming a victim. Things like locking your doors, traveling in groups and not carrying excessive sums of money are very obvious practices, but often times go overlooked. There will always be crime, but each of us knew that before we came here, and it didn’t stop us from enrolling.

One final benefit to living off-campus is that it forces students to become more responsible. Between making rent and utility payments on time, organizing schedules for cleaning and cooking, buying furniture and many other tasks, it prepares people for the post-college world. Also, it places a student in the situation of having to deal with neighbors, most of who are from very different backgrounds than the average La Salle student. Once again, this prepares a student for real world situations in dealing with people of differing ages, races and beliefs. This is not to say that on-campus students are sheltered. It’s just that living locally has many positive aspects that exist outside perceived negatives.

Living off-campus is not for everyone. It might not be for me, I don’t know yet. In two years, I will look back at this article and see how my opinions have changed. Next year, half of my friends will be on campus, and half will be off. We should make our own decisions based on what’s right for us. Many people think the only motivation to live off-campus is throwing parties and drinking without worrying about RAs or Security. For me, my decision to live off-campus was much more elaborate than that, and I wouldn’t care to have that process misunderstood.

neumanna1@lasalle.edu