Off-campus vacancies will benefit students

Ahh, the privileges of off-campus housing: parties, privacy and personal powder rooms. Usually prices and perks don't fall into the 'privilege' category, but the private contractors who heard the plea for more Purdue housing from two to three years ago have produced. Next year we will have a profound plethora of well-priced places of residence.

For The Levee, the surge of housing over the last two to three years has been very beneficial. State Street near The Levee has never looked better, the struggling economy of the area has definitely picked up (manifested in the long-awaited arrival of the Starbucks coffee house in the river market — a sure sign of civilization), and there are no students homeless.

One of the main complaints of off-campus students over the course of Purdue history is the fact that the monthly rent increases a little every year. Another complaint is the lack of many of the perks enjoyed by apartment complexes at other universities such as the University of Texas and Louisiana State University. Perks like exercise rooms, swimming pools and spas.

Now, however, private contractors have built so many apartment complexes that they don't have enough students to fill them. The statistics tell the tale: 2001 — 7 percent vacancy of apartments, 2002 — 12 percent vacancy of apartments. The future can be predicted because President Jischke announced that he is freezing the enrollment number of Purdue, and several apartment complexes are still under construction and will be opened by the next school year.

This vacancy is great for students.

The apartment complexes will now have to compete for students to rent their rooms. This means that prices will stay the same, discounts may be offered, perks like exercise rooms and spas may be made available and Purdue students will be allowed to choose apartments based on the best deal they can get.

So students, start looking into next year's housing now and secure the apartment of your dreams. Because the good deals are out there for the taking, and an opportunity such as this does not come along often.

Editorial Board: Keith Thomas, Tom McHenry, Erica Sagon, Matt Poston, John Wakefield, Shawn McGann.

Off-campus vacancies will benefit students

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