Frequently Asked Questions About Triples
How
many triples are there?
How
big are these rooms? You are using the biggest rooms aren't
you?
What furniture is in the rooms? Will I have my own?
Won't it be cramped in the room with all that furniture?
I'm concerned about my ability to study and rest in the triple. What can you suggest?
I don't have to pay the same price for housing as everybody else, do I?
How long do I have to stay in the triple?
Some universities put students in lounges? Will that be done at UNF?
Why isn't more housing being built at the University?
How
many triples are there?
Most of the freshman rooms in the residence halls are triples to be shared by three students. Of the total of approximately 2500 bed spaces on campus, over 1400 of those spaces will be 'designated triples' in Osprey Crossings, Osprey Landing and Osprey Cove. This equates to 470 triple occupancy rooms, or approximately 56% of all the rooms on campus.
How
big are these rooms? You are using the biggest rooms aren't
you?
All of the rooms in Osprey Crossings and Osprey Landing (as well as Osprey Cove) were designed with the intention of being utilized as triple rooms. Whether two students or three students are assigned to these rooms depends on occupancy levels. The rooms are approximately 380 square feet, including the bathroom.
What
furniture is in the rooms? Will I have my own?
In all triples, we provide a regular twin bed and mattress, dresser, desk and chair, and data line for each student. In most cases, two beds will be bunked. There are also three closet-areas, one for each resident.
Won't
it be cramped in the room with all that furniture?
Yes, it figures to be tight. Storage space will be limited to the closet or closets and under the beds. Here are some creative, yet safe ways of arranging furnishings in order to save space and maximize the amount of open floor space:
- Bunk any unbunked bed
- Make an 'L' formation with two beds, or dressers or desks
- Use your refrigerator as a nightstand
- Make use of all flat surfaces (tops of desks, dressers, refrigerators, etc.)
- Bring storage drawers or boxes that fit under your bed
- Move dresser or shelves into your closet
- Hang a shoe organizer inside your closet
- Bring a small stool to reach the upper levels in your closet
Each student should restrict the items they bring to campus, particularly by leaving least essential items (e.g., winter clothing) at home. A practical rule of thumb would be to restrict your possessions to what fits in/on your desk, dresser and a closet. Roommates are strongly encouraged to speak with one another prior to move-in day and to ensure that unnecessary duplications (e.g., TV, stereo, fan, refrigerator, and curtains) are avoided. Families who travel to campus for move-in day should plan to take back home with them items such as empty trunks and suitcases or duplicated items.
I'm
concerned about my ability to study and rest in the triple.
What can you suggest?
Roommates in a triple should discuss issues that affect any one student's ability to study in the room or get the proper rest. Issues include: Daily schedules for being in and away from the room; hour to rise and hour to go to bed; frequency and number of visitors; and use of phone, computer, TV, stereo, radio, etc. that affects another's ability to study or rest. Your RA will be available to prompt discussion of these issues with all residents of the room. The RA also will help resolve any difficulties that may come up during the semester. Also, there are several study spaces on your floor, elsewhere in your building, or on campus.
Each resident in the room will need to take personal responsibility for helping to make the best of this situation. Each resident should be especially courteous, considerate of others and sensitive to the concerns of others this semester. Practically speaking, this means tangible things like keeping your space clean and picked up, talking through problems and not letting them go unresolved, being patient and flexible as you negotiate and compromise on sleep/study/socialize matters, and not to undermine relationships by talking about roommates behind their backs or causing dissension among room/floor mates.
I
don't have to pay the same price for housing as everybody
else, do I?
The rent for a triple occupancy room reflects a discount from the double occupancy rent. The triple occupancy rate for Osprey Crossings will be $1910 per semester for the Fall 2007/Spring 2008 semesters and the rate for a triple in Osprey Landing will be $1660 per semester. The rate for an Osprey Cove triple room will also be $1660.
I'm
worried my grades might suffer because I've got these extra
roommates. Does that happen to students in triples?
No. Not in our experience at the University of North Florida and not according to a number of national research studies done over the years. Per a review of six studies by John Foubert, the research has concluded that academic performance does not suffer when students are tripled up in rooms and that grade point averages are no different for these students than for others in residence halls. Studies also show that being tripled does not affect students' adjustment to college life and that tripled students are as likely as others to participate in student organizations and to report satisfaction with their academic and social experiences.
How
long do I have to stay in the triple?
Because we do not anticipate having vacancies at any time during fall semester, triple assignments will last at least through final exams in December. There will not be enough openings in other rooms for Spring semester to 'dismantle' all of the triples, so most students will keep these assignments for the entire year.
Was
tripling the rooms the best thing you could think
of? Why not buy out some apartments or something?
Because it gets students into the residence halls where they want to be, tripling the rooms was decided in order to continue our ability to honor the University's recruitment pledge that all interested First-time Freshmen who meet the March 1 admissions/housing deadline are guaranteed on-campus housing. These students have been provided with a written guarantee of housing, which the University must honor.
Some
Universities put students in lounges? Will that be done at
UNF?
Yes, we have utilized lounges in Osprey Hall in order to accommodate more students. Typically these are the first rooms to be converted back to lounges after the start of the semester.
Why
isn't more housing being built at the University?
Housing Operations has been in an aggressive building mode. We opened our newest facility, Osprey Crossings, in the Fall of 2000 and plans are being made to add an additional 1,000 bed facility by Fall 2009. This is an expensive and time consuming process, but one that we are committed to completing.
