With an increasing number of students enrolling at Grand Valley State University comes the problem of limited on-campus housing.

There are still currently students on the housing wait-list, but most of those students who are
waiting live nearby and so decided to commute until their preferred choice is available, said Andy
Beachnau, associate vice provost for student affairs and director of Housing and Health Services.

“GV does not require any students to reside on campus,” said Kristen Evans, interim occupancy and
assignments manager for Housing. “Any student may choose to reside on campus. Incoming first-
year students are guaranteed a bed if they apply prior to May 1.”

Evans said that the tentative housing occupancy for Fall 2013 is around 6,000 residents, composed
of 60 percent first-year students and 40 percent returning students. Though the number of junior
and senior level students enrolled at GVSU has dropped by about 3.7 percent from 2010 to 2013,
the number of upperclassmen that live on campus has remained consistent.

“Wait-lists are not uncommon,” Beachnau said. “New and current students make decisions on
housing throughout the year. Students select the best on or off campus housing based on their
individual preferences. Those preferences often include cost, roommates, academic programs, class
and work schedules.”

At this time, housing does not plan to change its current policies to deal with the housing wait-list,
Beachnau said. Any future policy changes that they may make will support the overall enrollment
goals for GVSU.

The current housing policy states that, “students may be removed from on-campus housing for
enrollment that is less than full-time.” Those students who hope to stay on campus without a full
class load must submit a request to the Office of Housing and Residence Life.

Beachnau said that students who have been put on a wait-list for on-campus housing are
responsible to decide on a living option for themselves, whether it be commuting from home or
finding an apartment off-campus. Usually, as the academic year approaches, the wait-list moves
quicker as students decide what university they will attend, he said.

“The students are in control of where they’re living; we don’t require that they live on campus their
first year,” Beachnau said. “You can’t even come on campus without seeing an advertisement for
some apartments close to campus, so there are a lot of options for students to choose from.”

For the 2014-2015 academic year, the housing application opened Sept. 3. Evans reminded
students that returning students are not placed by the housing staff but must self-select a housing
assignment on MyHousing.

“Upperclass space is limited,” Evans said. “So returning students should apply and select early.”

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