As more students flock to the University of Mississippi, there simply is not enough housing to accommodate them. In addition to the housing shortage, other housing-related problems prompted the Associated Student Body to form a committee on housing and create an anonymous survey for students to voice their housing concerns.
The Student Housing Experience Survey has been emailed to students, posted in off-campus apartment buildings and linked in ASB’s Instagram bio. The 10-minute survey will remain open until Oct. 26, and students who participate are entered to win a $50 Cookout gift card.
ASB Senator and Chair of the Housing Committee Hayden Pierce believes that the survey will provide more insight into what issues are more common among students.
“Our survey data will steer the direction of our committee work, as we will prioritize the issues that seem most prevalent in the student body,” Pierce said. “Already, it appears that maintenance, housing for graduate and international students, the lockout policy, among others, are areas of substantial student concern that we plan to tackle.”
One question on the survey asks about the experience of relocating to another room on campus, which many freshmen have dealt with firsthand.
Mia Thomas, a freshman psychology major, expressed frustration toward the lack of options available to her when she began having roommate problems.
“It’s very challenging and stressful trying to change rooms when you are having emergent roommate struggles,” Thomas said. “The options given to me were either temporarily staying with a stranger until an ideal room opens up or staying in a hotel.”
While finding a room has been complicated on-campus, sophomore integrated marketing communications major Kaylee Nye explained how management has not been able to fill the empty room in her off-campus apartment.
“The only thing with apartment management is that they have been struggling to fill our empty room once our roommate moved out,” Nye said.
Nye further explained that while her housing situation has been mostly unproblematic, parking has posed a major problem.
“I live in an off-campus apartment, and while it is fairly affordable for me and the management has mostly been accommodating, the biggest struggle has been trying to commute to campus and park for class,” Nye said. “There doesn’t seem to be enough parking passes and spots to accommodate the amount of people who live off-campus, and that’s been my biggest issue related to housing.”
Difficulty changing rooms is just one of the many issues that ASB has incorporated into the survey. Other areas the survey asks about include housing prices, safety, amenities and more.
Even though responses are still coming in, the committee is already planning their next steps.
“We will present the survey findings to the City of Oxford’s Affordable Housing Committee, University Student Housing and other university administrators to show them what students need,” Pierce said.
As the ASB Housing Committee waits for survey results, Pierce elaborated on ways the committee is currently helping students.
“In our mission to serve students, it is vital that students feel comfortable communicating their concerns with us,” Pierce said. “Housing-wise, we have been able to connect students with Student Housing staff, professionals in the University Law School’s Housing Clinic, community providers and other nonprofits.”
