SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - Drury University will require all freshmen and sophomores to live on campus, beginning in the fall of 2015, ending a longstanding exemption for students who live close to the university’s Springfield campus.
Starting in August, freshmen and sophomores who live within 30 miles of campus will have only one more year to request an exemption for “extenuating circumstances” that would allow them to live off campus. That exemption process will be eliminated for freshmen and sophomores in 2015, said Holly Binder, Drury’s director of housing.
The change is intended to prompt younger students to become more involved in school activities, which would improve their chances of academic success, as well as increase school revenues, said Drury President David Manuel told The Springfield News-Leader (https://sgfnow.co/1msiead ).
“We know there is a direct correlation in the ability for a student to succeed if they are more significantly engaged in campus life,” he said.
Kaitlyn Schwers, a senior graduating in May, said the new policy would have made it impossible for her to attend Drury. She lives in Willard with her parents and commutes 11 miles to school.
“They are really toughening up on their policy,” Schwers said. “I came to Drury in the first place because I was unable to afford campus housing. I was unable to afford going out of Springfield.”
After the fall of 2015, the university’s policy said it will consider requests for exemptions only from juniors and seniors. But Binder said “gray areas,” such as an older freshman with a family, might still be considered for exemptions.
The change will mean students will have to pay between $3,406 and $6,254, depending on the housing facility, number of roommates and meal plan, for housing.
The university does not know how many students will be affected by the change, spokesman Mike Brothers said.
In the fall, about 82 percent of the university’s approximately 1,000 beds were rented by students. In the past five years, the highest occupancy rate was 95 percent, according to Tijuana Julian, vice president of student affairs and dean of students.
Manuel declined to discuss how much revenue would increase if occupancy climbed to 100 percent.
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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, https://www.news-leader.com
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