For the third year in a row, another record-breaking freshman class created the need for more housing and space.
Unlike last year when some freshman lived in The Four Points by Sheraton, a Myrtle Beach hotel, Justin Poindexter, director of auxiliary facilities and housing operations, said this is no longer the case. He said all residents are living in either university housing or university managed property.
The Chanticleer previously reported in September 2022 that Coastal Carolina University President Michael Benson said there was a possibility of renovating The Woods, CCU’s first freshman dorms. However, Poindexter said there are currently no renovations.
Instead, he said, beds were added to rooms ahead of move-in. Some students were living in resident adviser (RA) rooms at the start of the semester, and triple rooms are now residential halls including The Gardens, Ingle and Eaglin.
On-campus residency has gone up from last year’s 4,831 residents to 5,188. According to Poindexter, there are 5,363 maximum beds this semester, and out of all the occupants, 2,982 students are first-year residents.
Freshman Grace Schwarz said she lives in a triple suite in Eaglin. The room, she said, is tight and gets hot.
“It’s just a lot of people in a small space,” Schwarz said.
She said she wasn’t aware of how hard it would be to get her desired living space. She wanted to live in The Woods and thought she would be able to get it. Although, when her time slot came to pick rooms, she said Eaglin was her only choice.
However, freshman Hailey Cramp said her room in Ingle was not converted into a triple, but the room she shares a suite with was.
“I didn’t know that they were converting any of the double or triples when I applied,” she said. “In general, I think triples are weird, but honestly I kind of lucked out with my roommate situation, so I’m not mad about it.”
Poindexter said he recognizes a triple bedroom is a different experience from a double.
“Despite the large number of students who want to live with university housing, it is our goal to temper our response to that demand and look at the long-term options to decompress or make student bedrooms even more accommodating and desirable,” he said.
To accommodate more students, the lease of The Cove at University Place (UP) was also a step in the direction to create more beds, according to Poindexter. Originally an off campus living complex, Coastal leased the building as an extension of UP.
Poindexter said they have significantly increased shuttle routes to UP. A shuttle stop has been added at the front of The Cove to accommodate students.
This year, the University has doubled the number of passengers going to UP. Since there are increased shuttles on the routes, this means there are more drivers and buses going through more frequently.
Along with creating more space for beds, Poindexter said the University implemented an incentivized program. This program encouraged students who were not required to live on campus to free up space for incoming students who wanted the opportunity to live on campus. He said around 100 students accepted the incentivized offer.
“It allowed University Housing to give housing to the students who needed it the most,” he said.
The program had a monetary value of about $1,000 and refunded the $200 housing application to students who accepted the offer, according to Amanda Craddock, vice president for enrollment management. Poindexter said the program offered incentivized students with four options: First Day Complete credit, CINO Cash, meal plans, or specialized parking pass.
Craddock said there are no renovation plans in the future for housing as of right now. However, the University is working on new buildings such as the Thompson Library, indoor football facility, and college of health and human performance. Craddock said the new master plan for the University will come out sometime this fall.
“That will give us a better idea of what buildings are planned for the future – what it might look like,” she said.
