Housing crunch
24 freshmen placed in "tripled" rooms

The phrase "a good problem" is an oxymoron. It's also an accurate description of this year's student housing situation.

Growing demand for a Furman education and rising student retention have led to a housing crunch. As a result, 24 freshmen will have not one, but two roommates this fall.

To compensate for the cramped quarters, the students were given a credit on their housing bill and provided lofts and new furniture at no extra charge, said Boyd Yarbrough, director of housing.

Last spring, Furman accepted 760 new students. As a general rule, seven percent fail to enroll. But this year only four percent were no-shows.

"We had 727 beds and 735 new students," says Yarbrough. "Most of the parents and students have been understanding about the shortage. This tends to happen every five years or so."

The last time Furman "tripled" rooms was in 1997, when 66 freshmen were placed in 22 triple rooms. Since that time Furman has constructed the North Village apartment complex and begun requiring all students - except those who are married or are granted an exemption - to live on campus.

This year's senior class is the final group grandfathered into the old housing regulation that allowed juniors and seniors to live off campus. Because of the popularity of North Village, Yarbrough says more seniors are electing to remain on campus. This growing demand, combined with the rising retention rate, leaves little wiggle room when projection figures are even slightly off.

"We thought that the impact of 9/11 and the slumping economy would impact the number of students returning. But that has not been the case," says Yarbrough.

Last year, Furman recorded a retention rate of 94 percent, a record. Although registration figures for this year are not in yet, the university expects to match that number this year, said Benny Walker, Vice President for Enrollment.