FAYETTEVILLE -- About 115 freshmen scheduled to arrive within the next two weeks at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville are projected to have no room assignments, with UA's top housing leader warning that -- like last year -- community study rooms in dorms may need to be converted into short-term housing.
The university is notifying students without room assignments about short-term housing, according to a UA statement Wednesday that included details of the housing shortage.
"This is a short term situation and one that we are prepared to handle," Director of University Housing Flo Johnson said in the statement, emphasizing the availability of overflow housing.
Classes begin Aug. 24. Some students are scheduled to arrive early, beginning Tuesday, and move-in for the general population starts Aug. 15.
"We don't know exactly how many students will be affected, but we've made arrangements to be sure that the students who have short term assignments will still have an exceptional housing experience," Johnson said.
The university has experienced rapid growth over the past 10 years, with its undergraduate enrollment increasing by more than 25 percent since the fall of 2010. Last fall, UA tallied 21,836 undergraduates.
UA opened two residence halls in 2013 to accommodate the growth and avoided placing students in temporary overflow housing that fall.
In 2014, however, the fall semester began Aug. 25 with 72 UA students assigned to temporary living quarters.
The demand for on-campus living appears greater than last year.
As of Wednesday morning, UA had received at least 5,812 signed housing contracts, 242 more contracts than on the same date last year, according to information provided to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
Among students with signed contracts, 4,522 are freshmen, while 1,139 are returning students. Another 151 students are transfers.
The university has 17 residence halls and one university-operated apartment complex with a combined capacity of 5,732, said Billy Blount, director of administrative services for UA's housing department. The total does not include fraternity and sorority housing.
The university generally requires single freshmen under 21 to live on campus or with a parent.
Blount attributed the room shortage in part to having fewer freshmen opting to live with a parent than in previous years.
"Which is for us, a good sign, because national research shows that students who live on campus have higher GPAs," Blount said. "So, it's really exciting that the local community is wanting to be part of the campus community."
Another factor in the room shortage has been "historically low rates" of housing cancellations thus far, Blount added.
Last fall, every student who started the semester in overflow housing ended up with a standard room before the end of the semester, Blount said, adding that the university provides moving assistance in those situations.
The university expects some last-minute cancellations, perhaps for personal reasons or to go to another school, Blount said, with a few other students leaving UA early for similar reasons.
Most residence halls are mixed gender and open to all students. UA has three freshmen-only residences. The two facilities that opened in 2013 added about 630 housing slots.
Temporary living arrangements most often involve students sharing what's normally a community study room, Blount said. These rooms are outfitted with furnishings like beds, desks and wardrobes similar to other student rooms.
Other options involve sharing a room with a resident assistant, who is an upperclassman or graduate student serving as part of the UA's Housing Residential Education staff.
The statement Wednesday from UA also noted that if additional space is needed, the university has made arrangements with a hotel to provide short-term accommodations.
Metro on 08/06/2015