{"id":168510,"date":"2026-02-25T12:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/168510\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T12:18:10","slug":"usfs-upperclassmen-deserve-on-campus-housing-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/168510\/","title":{"rendered":"USF\u2019s upperclassmen deserve on-campus housing too"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>Just because we\u2019re \u201cmore established\u201d doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t appreciate the benefits of living on campus. ORACLE GRAPHIC\/CAROLINA ROCA<\/p>\n

To rising upperclassmen like me, USF\u2019s new housing policies have come as a major blow.<\/p>\n

On-campus housing will be \u201climited\u201d for continuing, transfer and graduate students in the 2026-27 room selection process, according to USF Housing and Residential Education<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The first priority will be incoming first-year students, as living on campus in freshman year \u201cimproves retention, academic performance and social integration,\u201d according to the webpage.<\/p>\n

Rising second-year students will then select their rooms on March 3 \u2014 with 1,200 beds reserved for continuing students, according to the webpage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USF Housing<\/a> stated that the decision to prioritize underclassmen stems from upperclassmen being \u201cmore established academically and socially\u201d and having greater access to off-campus housing.<\/p>\n

But this is a major oversimplification \u2014 I believe USF\u2019s upperclassmen can still absolutely benefit from living on campus, and the university should accommodate them.<\/p>\n

Related: USF reveals vision for housing, retail on former golf course site<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

For one, many transfer and graduate students are just as socially unestablished as the prioritized students and may need on-campus housing just as much.<\/p>\n

And on-campus housing has its upsides even for students who know their way around.<\/p>\n

As someone who doesn\u2019t own a car, living on campus has been a lifesaver, since many off-campus housing options aren\u2019t within reasonable walking distance of classes.<\/p>\n

I currently live on campus at Endeavor Hall, and knowing I\u2019m mere minutes away from my classes has been a major motivator for me to actually show up each morning.<\/p>\n

While the Bull Runner<\/a> bus system does include some off-campus apartments on its routes, the service has a track record<\/a> of delays and breakdowns, making it unreliable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

USF\u2019s bus system has already given me enough grief getting to the mall on time. I can\u2019t put my faith into it taking me to my classes.<\/p>\n

Likewise, bikes and scooters come with their own dangers <\/a>\u2014 especially when navigating the already bustling Fowler and Fletcher Avenues.<\/p>\n

And living on campus is still useful for students who do own a car, as it minimizes commutes and massively saves on gas money, energy and time.<\/p>\n

Related: OPINION: USF\u2019s Bull Runner needs to pick up the pace<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just as on-campus housing offers academic benefits, it also provides social benefits.<\/p>\n

Being sociable with the people in my residence hall has made me feel more connected to the college community as a whole.<\/p>\n

On-campus residence halls often host social events, which I\u2019ve found to be a great outlet to bond with my existing friends and even meet new ones.<\/p>\n

In fact, I\u2019ve met some of my closest friends at USF simply because we lived together in the same residence hall.<\/p>\n

That connection is lost in an off-campus apartment \u2014 which aren\u2019t exclusive to USF students and don\u2019t necessarily foster the same sense of community.<\/p>\n

To be sure, there are still options for upperclassmen looking for on-campus housing, but most are wildly situational.<\/p>\n

Upperclassmen can consider applying to be a Resident Assistant\u00a0 \u2014 as RAs receive a rent-free on-campus room as compensation for their work, according to the Resident Assistant FAQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But not everyone wants to take on the demanding responsibilities that come with being an RA simply to guarantee housing.<\/p>\n

USF also offers Living Learning Communities<\/a> \u2014 specialized residence halls based on shared attributes, such as major or identity.<\/p>\n

Related: New priority-based system, off-campus apartment expo \u2014 Housing Guide 2026<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

These LLCs do admit some upperclassmen, as I was accepted into Juniper-Poplar Hall\u2019s Judy Genshaft Honors College LLC<\/a> for the coming Fall 2026 semester.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, as it means I won\u2019t have to worry about housing until my senior year.<\/p>\n

But many upperclassmen aren\u2019t as lucky \u2014 whether their applications are rejected or they simply don\u2019t fit into any of the existing LLCs.<\/p>\n

So although there are opportunities for upperclassmen seeking on-campus housing, none are consistent.<\/p>\n

USF\u2019s decision to prioritize first and second-year students for on-campus housing does make sense, as living on campus in those years leads to higher graduation rates, according to a 2022 study<\/a> by the University of Connecticut.<\/p>\n

Still, it doesn\u2019t mean upperclassmen should be left out of the picture entirely.<\/p>\n

While living on-campus may be particularly beneficial to first-year students in adjusting to college life, upperclassmen can still absolutely value the academic and social support it provides.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For students like me, on-campus housing has been a major part of what\u2019s made college life so great. It\u2019s a shame upperclassmen may not get the chance to continue living here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just because we\u2019re \u201cmore established\u201d doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t appreciate the benefits of living on campus. ORACLE GRAPHIC\/CAROLINA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168511,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-168510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}