Written by Billie Pieters
Living off campus, the ultimate dream of a junior at Harding University. After a few years of living in the dorms at Harding, one starts to think of bigger and better things. One of which might be living off campus.Why, some may ask but the ultimate answer is freedom. Not freedom to break all of the rules but freedom to make decisions on their own. No dorm mom to make sure you sign out when taking a trip, no RA to make sure you are in at night. Just freedom, the freedom an 18 year old gets when they graduate high school. Freedom most Harding students don’t see until they graduate at 22 or 23 years of age.Let’s start with what most students would consider the major difference of living on and off campus, curfew. No longer would one have to be in by midnight or one on weekends but have the freedom to go to the midnight showing of New Moon or some other big movie. There would be no more RAs to check in on you to make sure you are in at night. There would be no more “health and safety check” every other week. Similar to curfew, there would be no more “signing out” to spend the night somewhere or to go on break.Something that may be over looked when making a list of pros and cons of dorm life is fire alarms. A major pro of living off campus: No more waking up to a screaming loud fire alarm 3 feet from your head; having to climb down your bunk bed half asleep at 4 am to stand outside in your pajamas for a half an hour in 40 degree weather. Someone burnt the popcorn.Though to most students living off campus is a far off and something they can only dream of for now. Many students do have the opportunity and freedom to live off campus. As it says in thestudent handbook, “Students meeting the following criteria may be considered for off-campus housing:” A student must be at least 23 years of age, a graduate student, a ninth-semester student or 120 semester hours completed, at least 22 years of age with 105 semester hours completed, a part-time student (enrolled in eight semester hours or less in fall or spring, four hours or less in any one summer session), live with a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or qualified sibling, live with faculty/staff/approved housing or have an internship in their field of study that is taken for credit, approved by faculty and be an hour or more off campus.Students living off campus are for the most part happy about their decision. There are many positives about the move. But with any positive there are negatives. There are bills. Rent, cable, Internet, electricity, water, trash, gas, and groceries. The list could go on and on. There are six-month leases and year leases, gas for getting to and from school. But senior, Lisa Dye says, “The hardest thing is not being around your friends whenever you want.” Harding students are used to being around hundreds of other students at any given time. They get used to being able to cross the hall or run down to the floor below them and watch a movie or make a funny video with friends.Harding’s rules about living off campus may seem strange but no matter what, it is up to the student to make the best or the worst of their living situation.
