For a year, life has been full of uncertainties for most Loyola students. The issue in some way always seems to come back to housing. First it was, where will I go after Katrina? Now, the issue has become where will Residential Life put me?

On July 30, upperclassmen – who had originally been assigned to live on the fourth and fifth floors of Cabra Hall – received an e-mail from Res Life explaining that they would be relocated to the Main Campus come fall.

The e-mail cited “a recent increase in the demand for on-campus housing” as the reason for the switch.

It also said that female students would be relocated to the third and fourth floors of Buddig Hall, while male students were rerouted to the second and third floors of Biever Hall. Res Life assured relocated students that they would still receive the same 24-hour visitation privileges as they would have in Cabra.

There were many factors taken into consideration when making this decision, said Robert Reed, director of Res Life. The first thing to consider was this year’s smaller freshman class, which in turn, left vacancies in both Buddig and Biever.

“Law school students were looking for housing, and it doesn’t make much sense for them to live (on the Main Campus),” he said. “So we decided to move the undergrads to Biever and Buddig and give them Cabra visitation rights.”

Reed also said that students will be billed for the price of Cabra, not Buddig or Biever.

Concern was raised among students however, over whether or not the affected students will still be held to the same standards agreed to in the Res Life contract.

“Students are held by a contract,” Reed confirms. “But room change period is in two weeks if any students want to move out. We’ve just got to get everyone settled in first.”

Initially, there was an unfavorable reaction by many of the students, who claimed that the decision was made at the last minute and without their input.

Korinna Sheahan, communications sophomore, was annoyed at the untimely nature of the e-mail. “I just would have liked more of a notice,” she said. “I planned on one living situation and got another. It was just a bit of a let down.”

Chemistry sophomore Molly Clifford said, “I was really annoyed, mostly because they switched us at the very last minute.”

Students also expressed dissent about the fact that they would still be held to living on-campus by the Res Life contract agreed to upon the assumption that they would be living in Cabra.

“It’s not fair,” said Katy McGrath, communications sophomore. “The contract said that we would be living in Cabra, not that we would be living in Buddig, and if we didn’t want to (live in Buddig, that) we’d have to pay $300.”

Although some students are still concerned about the decision made on their behalf, others believe that Res Life made amends by maintaining the privileges associated with life in Cabra.

“When I found out about the 24-hour visitation, I was OK with (the decision),” said Sheahan. “That was the only reason I wanted to live in Cabra. It’s not like the dorms are that much better over there (on the Broadway Campus).”

Brian Higdon, forensic science sophomore, also agrees that the added visitation hours will make living in Biever again more appealing.

“It’s not too bad. If we didn’t get that privilege, then it would be a different story,” he said. “I would rather live in Biever with Cabra rules than live in Cabra.”

Now that these students have moved into Biever and Buddig, some for the second time, they say they’re trying to make the best of the situation.

“I have my own bathroom,” Sheahan said. “I still have the same suitemates I was supposed to have originally. We have the same visitation rules as we were supposed to have. It’s really not a big deal.”

Sheahan also likes the fact that she’s living on the same floor as other students who are in the same situation. “I feel a lot better living here when I’m with people I know,” she said.

Res Life also feels that the students are content with their new living arrangements, said Reed.

“Everyone’s been pretty satisfied,” he said. “At least they have housing – they’re on campus and they have 24-hour visitation. I don’t know what else we could have possibly done.”

Lauren LaBorde can be reached at [email protected].