Housing at Mercyhurst has always been a topic of debate. Some are fine with it, others hate it and others just do not care at all. My experience living on campus has not been bad, but it has not been the best either. I have lived in both Briggs and Lewis apartments and for both of them I have had issues. Maintenance has fixed some of these issues, but others are just not about maintenance fixing them. They require an entire renovation to the apartment itself.

The apartments have had the same furniture for years. Some of them are not in the best conditions, while others are just ready to fall apart. Many students have opted to live off campus. The main reason is to have a more comfortable and cheaper place to live. We pay for a decent amount of money for the housing and in my opinion it is not compensated with what we get in return. I hope that with the new renovations that will take place, the housing conditions will improve significantly.

With the recent announcement of the new renovations to be done to the school’s housing, I think more people will be motivated to live and pay for housing on campus. It has its benefits to live on campus, like you are closer to the academic buildings. Living off campus can become challenging for those who do not have a car especially during the winter, because a long walk to campus in the severe weather we have had recently is not a good idea.

The renovations are needed because students have been complaining about the school’s campus for a while now. We have waited a long time for something like this to happen. Residence life is investing over one million dollars in student housing renovations. They will make renovations to bedrooms and bathrooms. They will also change furniture including beds, desks, chairs, dressers and more.

The buildings they will renovate include Baldwin, McAuley, Warde, Briggs and Lewis avenue apartments. They can’t stress enough the fact that living on campus has its benefits, like avoiding risky winter driving to and from campus during Erie’s long winter months. The reason why most of the students move out of campus is because it is cheaper and they can get houses or apartments in better conditions. Hopefully, the renovations will motivate more people to live on campus rather than look for other options off campus.

Furniture display will be available on Tuesday, April 15, at the Student Union Great Room for students to get a glimpse at the new renovations. For more information contact Residence Life at Egan 323, or email them at reslife@mercyhurst.edu.