Wesley.edu

By: Kimberly Juhas (Whetstone Contributor)

Wesley College junior Megan Aiello thinks living on Wesley College campus is not worth it.

“The facilities are old, small, and not worth the thousands of dollars people are charged,” she said. “The ones that are nice to live in are so unaffordable on top of tuition, books, and the meal plan.”

For many years Wesley has had a problem with keeping their students on campus.

Some students say it is due to deteriorating dorms; others say it is because of how expensive it is to live on campus.

Some students agree with Aiello.

The dorms are old and disgusting, said junior Malmberg Hall resident Lindsey Martin. “People don’t want to pay that kind of money,” she said. “Not only is it cheaper to live off campus, but also you do not have an expensive meal plan.”

Senior Kimberly Fearnbach doesn’t like the rules in dorms.

“Wesley dorms are becoming entirely way too strict with on campus living,” she said.

So many students are living off campus because of that, Aiello said.

Others suggest, however, that the freedom of being off campus is what they enjoy most.

“Living off campus has allowed me to feel more comfortable and has saved me a lot of money,” she said.

Aiello said that her grades have gone up even higher than they were, and she gets a good night’s sleep every night.

Fearnbach also enjoys living off campus.

“I moved off campus at the end of my sophomore year and absolutely love it,” she said. “I definitely would never go back to a dorm room.”

She said she has more privacy and has a bedroom that is bigger than the size of a shoebox.

However, there are a few students who prefer living on campus.

“I like to live on campus especially this year because of all the dangerous stuff that has been going on I feel safer in the dorms,” says junior Zimmerman Hall resident Amanda Fetterolf. “I like to live on campus because it is good for meeting new people on campus that you might not know as well,” she concluded.

Junior Travis Ragland said he enjoys where he lives on campus.

“I loved what Malmberg offered as a resident last year and I love living in Zimmerman Hall now,” he said.

Kevin Hansbury, Wesley’s director of resident life, said the college has a “two-year residency requirement for all students, with limited exceptions.”

Some of these exceptions include: commuting from home – but it must be within close proximity to campus; students who are married; those who serve in the military; or students who are at least 20 years old.

“Students with extenuating circumstances may appeal the residency requirement to the dean of students,” he said. “However, we are very consistent with maintaining the policy.”