Harrisburg University is a small campus located in the heart of Pennsylvania’s capital city. Support of the Dauphin County Commissioners has allowed the University to become a growing and thriving part of the community that provides opportunities for career development. It is through the support that students are offered a chance to hone their skills and become part of a growing professional community, even as they attend college. However, this growth has created difficulties in finding student housing. This report will explain the current housing situation and future needs that must be met if the campus is to continue growing and supporting the surrounding city.
History of Student Housing
Harrisburg University focuses on providing a STEM-based education that readies students for the high-tech workforce that is needed in the surrounding city. It came into existence December 12, 2001 (Harrisburg University, 2017a). At that time, the city was already crowded in terms of housing and available living space for students. The University is small and decided that the best option was to provide student housing through a contract with a partner, Brickbox Enterprises, LTD (Harrisburg University, 2017b).
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Current Status of Student Housing
Brickbox Enterprises is a third-party contractor that provides two residential units for students. Any student is eligible to apply for the University-partnered housing (Harrisburg University, 2017b). Through this partnership, the University offers two main residential units. The Residences on Market is located at 335 Market St. and the Market View Place is located at 301 Marketplace. Both of these residences are located within one block of the academic center. Wi-Fi Internet service is included in the rental housing fee, but students must pay for their own cable television if they wish to have it (Harrisburg University, 2017a). Both units provide a shared laundry room with card operated machines. They also have a lounge and game room for entertainment. Housing prices are $3,400 for a double, $3,100 for triple, and $2,825 for a quad (Harrisburg University, 2017b).
Survey on Student Housing
A survey was conducted that asked student opinions about student housing that was available. The results of the study found that students were frustrated by the long waiting list to get into the residential units. They fill up to capacity quickly at the beginning of the semester, leaving the only option for students to find housing privately off-campus. Some students reported that they had to drive long distances through heavy traffic to attend their classes due to the expense and unavailability of private housing in the area. Students indicated that they wished to have more University-affiliated housing available to them while they attend classes.
Housing at Other Regional Campuses
Many smaller universities do not even offer University provided to housing. However, other larger campuses do offer more student housing options. Penn State offers a variety of both on-campus and off-campus living arrangements. However, they offer more amenities in their on-campus housing units to encourage students to use this option. For instance they offer free cable TV, bike rental opportunities, and furniture rental options (Penn State University, 2017). Students have more affordable options than Harrisburg University currently offers. Penn State University focuses on creating a community of students, rather than leaving students to fend on their own. Students have opportunities to meet and come together outside of campus hours. This creates a greater sense that they are part of the community and want to give something back.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The results of the recent survey of Harrisburg University students regarding housing options revealed that housing was a major setback in the decision of students to attend the University. While student housing options are more cost-effective than housing in the surrounding area, it is filled to capacity and does not serve the needs of all of the students. Compared to other campuses, the housing Harrisburg University is substandard in that it does not offer as many amenities as other regional campuses.
Improving the housing and Harrisburg University could help the University grow and attract more students to attend the campus. It is recommended that the University build a dorm room facility that is close to the campus, up-to-date, and that offers amenities similar to other regional campuses. The dorms should be large enough to house the entire anticipated student population and provide them an opportunity for living that is above and beyond what they could obtain in the surrounding community. The units would be affordable, that they would offer much more in terms of amenities than the surrounding campus housing. Offering free transportation, the ability to rent furniture, instead of having to purchase one zone, and the ability to congregate and socialize with other students would make student housing at Harrisburg University more attractive than the current options.
The current status of housing at Harrisburg University indicates that this is one area that is lacking and that it may prevent students from attending the University in the future. Providing dormitory style options similar to other regional campuses would help to increase the marketability of the University. The initial capital outlay of building the dormitories may be expensive, but it will be quickly recovered by attracting new students to the University who might otherwise have chosen other options for their secondary education. Providing better student housing would improve the marketability of the University and the revenues that it brings to the community.
- Harrisburg University. (2017a). HU Story. Retrieved from http://harrisburgu.edu
- Harrisburg University (2017b). Housing Options. Retrieved from http://harrisburgu.edu
- Penn State University (2017). Housing. Retrieved from https://housing.psu.edu/
