Page 4
The Behrend Beacon
Large freshman classes force colleges
to crowd dorm rooms
by Scott Williams
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
t'hree's company in many college dor-
initolies this year.
A housing shortage at some Milwaukee
area colleges has forced students to accept
ire UKnnmates than usual, breaking from
tradition and introducing a new lifestyle
rangement on campus.
Rs an VanDeLoo, a freshman at Carroll
College in Waukesha, Wis., is sharing his
dorm room with two roommates this fall.
What's more, all three are stocky college
football players.
"It's pretty crowded," VanDeLoo said of
the 12-foot-wide room typically assigned
to just two students. "We're hoping that our
parents stop bringing stuff."
Marquette University in Milwaukee has
rented an entire hotel to manage its largest
I esh man class in 14 years.
While housing crunches are nothing new
at colleges and universities, some officials
the problem seems to be worsening.
"We haven't had to do anything like this
in a long time," Marquette spokesman Ben
1 racy said.
Marquette has rented the entire 40-room
Executive Inn to handle overflow tempo
rarily until rooms open up in campus hous
Wisconsin is not the only state where
(()lieges arc in a pinch.
Gary Schwarzmueller, executive direc
tor of the Ohio-based Association of Col
lege and University Housing Officers-In
EI=nECIE:I
TIME IS MONEY, HOW CO
I HAVE SO MUCH OF ONE
AND NOT THE OTHER?
KRT PHOTO BY WILLIAM MEYER/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
Ryan VanDeLoo, left, Mike Behl, top, and Joe Jarosz relax in their dorm
room at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin
ternational, said housing is scarce in several
parts of the country.
Not only are high school graduates flock
ing to colleges and universities, displaced
workers and other non-traditional students
are driving enrollment higher during these
tough economic times increasing the de
mand for housing even more.
"Some places are having enormous, ex
plosive growth," Schwarzmueller said.
Carroll College officials considered rent
ing hotel rooms when they realized that the
I:=M=3
r,;., ~
141
6 - 's''' 4AT •iis.
1 ~, N ,c., ,
iti,----L•
Friday, September 6, 2002
Waukesha campus this fall would welcome
700 new students a record high for the 156-
year-old school.
But administrators decided that packing
students into campus dorms was more in
keeping with student expectations than load
ing them onto a bus and shipping them to a
hotel,
"That's not the kind of experience that we
feel is a positive one, especially for fresh
men," said Dean Rein, Carroll's senior vice
president.
9 3
6
This is not the first time Can - 01l has been
forced into triple-occupancy. and officials
hope real estate acquisitions around cam
pus will allow them to convert other build
ings into new dorms.
For now, however. most freshmen are
in dorm rooms adapted for three people.
Bunk beds have been installed, and a third
loft-style bed leaves room underneath for
dressers or desks. Students also are being
urged to consider economies of scale, so
their rooms are not cluttered with three TV
sets, three computers or three mini-refrig
erators.
In exchange for any inconvenience,
Carroll is offering each triple-occupancy
student a $7OO rebate on the usual $2,4(X)
annual housing bill.
One or two students opted to enroll else
where when told of the housing crunch,
officials said, but most are hiking it in
stride.
VanDeLoo and his roommates Mike
Behl and Joe Jaros/ said the arrange
ment is working out well so far. "Fhe tact
that all three play football means they keep
the same hours and do not disturb one
another with different wake-up tunes.
"It's pretty nice," Behl said. "We all have
to be at the same place at the same time."
Jarosz said he is finding no significant in
convenience. And he looks forward to the
$7OO rebate.
"I basically got some tree money," he
said.
Names in
the news
by Gayle Ronan Sims
Knight Ridder Newspapers
The covered wooden bridge made famous
by the movie "The Bridges of Madison
County" has been severely damaged in a fire,
and authorities are investigating whether it was
Only a charred shell of the 119-year-old
Cedar Bridge remained after the Tuesday night
tire in Winterset, lowa. The decking collapsed
into the creek below.
Madison County has just five covered
bridges remaining, all on the National Regis
ter of Historic Places. Cedar Bridge was the
last of them open to traffic, and thousands of
people have visited it since Robert Waller's
book, "The Bridges of Madison County," was
published in 1992. The 1995 film based on
that novel featured Cedar Bridge.
I)AMON, AFFLECK HELP FRIEND
Mau Damon and Ben Affleck have landed
bit pails in Massachusetts politics. The two
actors are helping high school friend Marjorie
Decker, a Democratic city councilor from
Cambridge, with her campaign for state rep
resentative.
Damon has taped a phone message that
urges voters to support her. Affleck is featured
in Decker's campaign literature, talking about
the Little League team they'd played on to-
gether.
Decker and Affleck, both 30, were class
mates at Cambridge's Rindge and Latin
School. Damon, 31, attended the school a year
ahead of them.
JOURNALIST TO TROT ON STAGE
What'S it like to walk the Miss America
runway? Perform a talent routine? Wave to
fans from the Boardwalk Hall stage? Only
former contestants know for sure. But this
year, a journalist will find out. Olivia Barker,
a reporter for USA Today, will take part in
two nights of preliminary competition lead
ing up to the pageant in Atlantic City, N.J. Het
talent: a dramatic monologue. She'll appeal
in the talent and eveningwear competition, in
troduced as a representative of the newspa
per. hut not in the swimsuit competition.
Barker, who is in her 20s, will be inter
viewed by judges, 'like the other 'l"cOntes
tants, hut will not appear onstage or compete
for the title in the nationally televised Miss
America Pageant, which airs Sept. 21 on ABC.
NO CLINTON TALK SHOW
Former President Bill Clinton said he
no plans to start a career as a TV talk-sh
host _ at least not soon. Asked on CN s
"Larry King Live" program Tuesday if e
wanted such a gig, Clinton said: "I don't thi
so." But he did not rule out such a career mo • .
FORD'S A LUCKY GUY
When actor Harrison Ford was a young
in Wisconsin, he flipped a coin to deci
whether to try his luck in New York or
Angeles. "It came up New York, so I mad.
two out of three," said Ford, when asked a •
his choice. "My luck has held since then."
Ford was in France at the Deauville fi
festival to accept an award for his roles as H
Solo in "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones" and
"Fugitive." His new film," K-19: T
Widowmaker," was screened before t
crowd.
A few moments earlier, Ford had emerg
from his limousine with actress Cali•
Flockhart, and the two signed autographs '
fans who lined up along the red carpet o
side the theater. Ford and Flockhart, 37, w
starred in "Ally Mcßeal," walked into the
ater hand in hand.
WHO IS PRINCE IFS MOM?
Michael Jackson's former wife, Deb ,
Rowe, insists she is not the mother of his
est child, Prince Michael 11. Rowe told
New York Post she is going crazy with
press hanging outside her place in Frank!
Canyon in Beverly Hills.
PAINTINGS VANISH
About $7(X),000 worth of artwork, inclu
ing paintings by Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picas
and Henri Matisse, were apparently stolk
from the home of a San Antonio doctor. P
lice said the 15 works were taken while Ric
and Garcia slept in an upstairs bedroom
tier this week.
Garcia, who said the paintings were n
insured, is known in San Antonio as an •
patron who frequently gives parties at h
home for artists and musical stars.
A BABY BACKSTREET
Get ready for the newest Backstreet Bo
The wife of singer Brian Littrell, actre•
Leighanne Wallace, is expecting a boy at
end of the year. The couple has been marri ,
for two years.
(Philadelphia Inquirer wire services contri
uted to this report.)