By Sierra Petro
Purchase admissions numbers have gone over the available beds on campus, and transfers got the suite end of the deal.
Many students would not enroll without access to appropriate housing, and some schools don’t ensure a quality option for all students. Doral Arrowwood Hotel, located at 975 Anderson Hill Road, is a mile from campus, but the students living there have created their own community.
“This foreign situation we were all thrown into created a bonding experience for us all,” said Alyssa Sirani, a junior psychology major, who usually crashes in friends' rooms on weekend nights.
Sha Briggs, a junior computer science major, said he likes the perks that come with being at a hotel, such as the convenience of breakfast, which is included in the price of the stay. Other meals at the hotel however, are pricy. “The decision between trekking to campus or calling for $13 chicken tenders is a hard one,” said Briggs.
It is difficult to hit the projected admissions number exactly. When the number is off on the lower end “the consequence is being hundreds of thousands of dollars off on the revenue side,” said Officer-in-Charge Dennis Craig. “Purchase has avoided residence hall overages for the past six years,” said Craig.
The choice of transfers for the alternative living situation was based on housing not being guaranteed to them and their overall maturity and academic track record over freshman.
Antony Ware, Director of Residential Services at Purchase, tried to get the group of seniors who were graduating at the end of the Fall semester to stay at the hotel, but no one bit. Other current students had already been given their housing placements and “it was problematic to move a student that was already given a spot,” said Craig.
Despite the added expense for Purchase, the students put up in the hotel are paying regular housing prices. The 106 students who registered on move-in day and the 98 who remain there as of September 11 paid $4,462 for their spaces (the same cost to dorm at Purchase).
“The cost per room at the hotel is $8,214, so the one-time cost the college bears per student is $3,752,” said Craig.
The college is receiving $350,000 in tuition revenue. The hotel is a three-minute drive from campus, and a shuttle is provided by Purchase for an extra $204,000 assuming that it’s needed for the remainder of the semester.
Transfers will eventually move back on campus, as soon as housing assesses the amount of available beds on campus.
“There’s always a small subset between 10 and 22 students, it takes us a while to figure out if they are even living on campus,” Craig said. "Students can stay at Doral for the semester if they want to, or if a space becomes available sooner, they can have a choice.”