It’s that time of year again for students to choose housing here at Fairfield. While the idea of entering your next year here may bring you joy and hope for things to come, the housing lottery does exactly opposite causing you to feel anxious, nauseous and may even make you break out in a cold sweat.
Many times, the lottery forces friends to be placed on different sides of campus or even on campus versus off-campus. But have no fear! We’re here to break down the pros and cons of each living option both on and off-campus.
The Quad: McCormick, Loyola, and Gonzaga
The Set Up: Double rooms with communal bathrooms
Residential Colleges: Loyola-Ignation and McCormick- Service for Justice
The quad is a main attraction here on campus and for many of the underclassmen it provides a fantastic place to study and hang out on warm days. It’s often busy with potential Campus Cuties throwing the football around or girls trying to catch some rays on those perfectly sunny days. Living on the quad can be an option for sophomore year too if you’re just not ready to give up these perks!
Pros: McCormick and Loyola are two residential colleges that are nestled on the Quad next to freshman/sophomore res hall Gonzaga. Former Loyola resident, Samantha Viscovich, said that it was great because it was close to the academic buildings as well as the center of campus (like Barone, the RecPlex, etc.). She also said, “Living in Loyola as a sophomore helps you gain a general sense of what you want to accomplish at Fairfield U. It is definitely a step up from the dorms with the decorated hallways and cozy lounges that make you feel at home.” Past McCormick resident, Gina Imperati, said that the residential college gave her a greater sense of community with people she might not have met before. Past Gonzaga resident, Lauren Buscone, echoed Viscovich’s opinion on being close to the center of campus and she also enjoyed having a shorter walk to the townhouses.
Cons: All of the girls pretty much had the same answer—there’s a huge separation from other students in the sophomore class, especially those who live in the Village. While this may pose a problem when trying to make time to see friends, Buscone said it made the people who lived in Gonzaga a tight-knit group. If you’re worried about never seeing your friends from the Village or Bellarmine, make plans to meet at Barone or tell them to come hang out in the Quad with you after a class!
The Village
The Set Up: Kostka and Claver- Two double rooms separated by a bathroom
Mahan- Four single rooms with a bathroom, living room and kitchen
McInnes- Four, six, or eight person apartments with double rooms, bathrooms, and kitchen/living area
The Village is comprised of sophomore and junior housing. Sophomores can live quad-style in Kostka or Claver. During junior, year the Mahan or McInnes apartments are available. Mahan has four single rooms with a living area, kitchen and bathroom and McInnes is either a four, six, or eight-person apartments with a kitchen, living area and bathrooms.
Pros: As a sophomore, I lived in Kostka Hall. I loved being able to live with four of my friends with a little more responsibility than freshman year. Living close to a lot of my friends and the rest of the sophomore class made us a closer group and sometimes instead of trekking to the townhouses, we would just stay in the Village. I loved the lounges both Kostka and Claver offered. Sometimes your quad can get a little crowded or loud so the lounges offered great spaces to study. Current junior and resident of McInnes, Jen Blair, said that being close to the library is ideal and still having lounges on each floor is also great for quiet places to work. Mahan resident, Molly Busch, said that living in Mahan gives you lots of space because you have your own room and after sharing a room for at least two years, you don’t feel on top of your friends. She also loved the close proximity to classes and the RecPlex compared to other housing on campus.
Cons: One con of living in a quad is the bathrooms. While I did not mind sharing and cleaning my own bathroom, some people are not ready for this responsibility, which leads to some disgusting discoveries, come move out day (yes boys, I’m referring to you). Sometimes this responsibility isn’t meant for everyone and things can get a little scary when it comes to cleaning. Blair said that as a junior, “The social scene revolves more around the townhouses at night, so it can be a hassle to get up there to meet up with friends. Also, if you are a junior with a car, you are required to park your car in the Regis parking lot, which is extremely inconvenient.” As a senior living in Mahan, Busch said, “some of the apartments are definitely nicer and more updated than others which makes looking at them important.” This can make it difficult and sometimes unfair if you have a higher lottery number and your options are limited.
Bellarmine
The Set Up: Two double rooms separated by a bathroom or one, four-person room and a bathroom
Residential College: Creative Life
Bellarmine is the large dorm that is opposite the Dolan School of Business and the Quick Center for the Arts. It is a quad-style building as well as a residential college. Belarmine Hall is now also the location for the Saturday night “Southside Café,” an alternative option for a Saturday night Townhouse party.
Pros: Previous Bellarmine resident, Lauren Grant, said that living in the residential college was great because everyone wanted to be there. She also said that because of many of the programs, like the retreats, the group that lived there created a bond that they still have today.
Cons: Grant agreed that there are some downsides to living in Bellarmine. Like the Quad residents, she agreed that it is hard to be a distance from the Village and many of the other sophomores. Unfortunately, Bellarmine is quite far from the academic buildings like Canisius, Donnarumma and Barone. However if you are a business student, Bellarmine is closely situated to where a majority of your classes are held!
The Townhouses
The Set Up: A four-person has two double bedrooms with one shower, two toilets, a kitchen and living room. A six-person has three double rooms with two showers, one/two toilets, a kitchen and a living room.
The townhouses, typically junior and senior housing, are at the top of campus directly next to the School of Engineering and the Levee. If you’re a sports fan, they are also really close to Alumni Field, University Field, and Alumni Diamond so you can even cheer on your fellow Stags directly from your own home!
Pros: Living in a Townhouse has been great so far! As a junior with my own home, it’s nice to have a lot of space. Another great advantage of living here is that you are no longer required to have a meal plan. It’s fun to be able to cook healthily or make big “family” dinners for my friends and I. The rooms in the Townhouses are all nicely sized and because you now have a living room, you don’t feel so confined.
Cons: One thing I’ve noticed is the time and effort people must make to see each other. Unlike living in a dorm and walking down the hall and popping into someone’s room, the Townhouses are more spread out and there is a lesser sense of community. Current Townhouse resident, Alexandra Antonacci, said that parking is hard and you often can’t find spots near your house. She also stated that while living in the Townhouses, there is a lot of cleaning to be done. “We clean on a daily basis in my house. I feel like things always get dirty or dusty,” she said. If you can coordinate a “family” dinner once a week with friends and make sure that you clean up after yourself, living in the Townhouses is an amazing part of junior year!
Dolan Apartments
The Set Up: Four, six or eight-person apartment with double rooms, a large bathroom and a kitchen/living area.
The Dolan Apartments are at the top most corner of campus, next to the Study Abroad office and the Townhouses. These apartments, which were redone three years ago, are a great place for groups of four, six, or eight people to live junior or senior year.
Pros: Current Dolan occupant, Kat Massaro, said Dolan is, “comfortable and feels like home.” Massaro, who lives with seven other girls, has an apartment with four double rooms, a large bathroom, kitchen and living room. Another perk of being an upperclassmen and living in these apartments is, she says, “It’s fun to live with all your best friends and always have someone to hang out with.” Massaro also said that it is nice to live in Dolan because it’s another option for the social scene when you don’t feel like going to the townhouses.
Cons: According to Massaro, “It can get creepy when you’re the only one home, though, especially because of the rumors of ghosts in Dolan.” Yes, for all of you who had not heard, there are rumors but that hasn’t deterred people from living there. Massaro also said that oftentimes people complain that walking to Dolan is too far. She responds, “That’s not a good enough excuse.”
The Beach
The Set Up: It depends on your particular house, but you can find housing options on Reef Road, Lantern Point, College Place and Fairfield Beach Road.
Living on Fairfield Beach is the pinnacle of senior year at Fairfield University. There are tons of houses for students to choose from to make their homes for their final year here.
Pros: According to senior Siobhan Scarfo, living at the beach is filled with tons of great activities put on by the Beach Resident Organization. Masses of seniors join together to take part in Powder Puff football, Oktoberfest, Nauts, Mock Wedding and of course Clam Jam. These events really bring the senior class together and being on the beach is a huge part of it. “What better way to end your time at Fairfield University than with all your friends living close together, a beach to lay on, and a bar so close you could crawl home if you needed to!” We hear you Siobhan!
Cons: Not everyone gets released. Unfortunately, Fairfield University needs to keep some students on campus their senior year which is unfair to many groups of friends. “It seems perfect moving to where there are no more RA’s breaking up parties at the Townhouses or arriving about a noise complaint, but with that comes more responsibility to avoid involving the Fairfield Police,” Scarfo said. While you feel lucky to not be dealing with on campus Residence Assistants, you may come face to face with a police officer, which is way worse than a write up…sorry officer!
All in all, the housing lottery is a crapshoot. You may have a 4.0 and have never been written-up, but you could still have the last lottery number in your class. Many students, including Lauren Buscone and Jennifer Blair, believe that the lottery should be a point-based system prioritizing students GPA’s and involvement in the school as a whole, giving students incentives to behave and get involved. Junior Jessica Russo added, “The random lottery system causes a lot of anxiety among students because you have no control over your living arrangements, which is frustrating because that’s one of the most important aspects of your college career. So even if you are a great student who is really involved, you don’t necessarily have an advantage.” Even though housing can be one of the toughest parts of Fairfield, just remember that it ends up being what you make of it. May the odds be ever in your favor in the upcoming Housing Games!