Courtesy of conncoll.edu
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, Connecticut College is allowing (and asking) students to live off-campus due to unusually high enrollment during the Fall 2023 semester. According to a June 22 email from Associate Dean for Campus Life Geoff Norbert and Assistant Director for Housing Operations Becky Prichett, a “target number” of students may apply over the summer to be approved for off-campus living in the fall. If approved, students “have the responsibility to find and pay for a local rental, which is typically a year lease.”
On-campus housing is known as a quintessential part of the small liberal arts college experience, but extenuating circumstances led Conn to make an exception this semester. “The class of 2027 enrollment is on-target, but the overall enrollment is high…the number of students studying away this fall is smaller than projected,” the email reads. It is no secret that Conn’s student body has grown in size over the past two years. The class of 2025 was the biggest class yet at around 500 students until the class of 2026 populated the campus with about 650 first-years. While the comparatively small class of 2023 graduated, the incoming class of 2027 consists of 556 students, according to a May 26 email titled “News from the May 2023 Board of Trustees Meeting.” However, class size is allegedly not related to overcrowding on campus in the fall. Alluding to Conn’s email and text message to students regarding off-campus housing, Caroline Snyder ‘26 wrote, “I strongly dislike the way [off-campus living] was presented as an ‘exciting opportunity’ instead of as a consequence of Conn over-enrolling and failing to fix housing pitfalls.”
How does Conn typically project the number of students studying away each semester? Director of Study Away Office Shirley Parson explained, “It is difficult to predict how many students will apply and actually end up going on study away, especially since the Covid years. The number of students in the sophomore class (when students apply) is somewhat of an indicator, as well as how many students attend the information sessions and/or set up individual meetings.” When asked why she believes less students are studying away in fall 2023 than usual, Parson did not have a definite reason for this drop. However, she provided the following background information, “Pre-Covid the numbers each semester were more even; going back even farther, more students studied away in the Fall semester than in the Spring semester.”
Attached to the June 22 email is a document titled “Off Campus Considerations” with a list of factors students should ponder before they apply for off-campus housing. Among these factors are transportation, finances, and academics. Students would need a reliable method of transportation to and from campus, whether that be a personal vehicle or public transportation. The College will not provide shuttles and the SEAT transit system is not necessarily suitable for daily transportation to time-sensitive classes and activities. A few students reported not having a car as the main factor preventing them from applying to live off-campus. Recent graduate Quincey Dowling ‘23 shared, “I think the biggest flaw with off-campus housing is that not all students have cars and realistically the best way to get to and from [downtown New London] is by car rather than by bus or biking/walking. Even for people with cars, the parking situation at Manwaring was a little tricky (the garages are super expensive so students fight for the limited street parking).”
While students living off campus will not pay the room and board fee, Conn still expects them to purchase an on-campus meal plan “because eating in the dining halls is a valuable way to stay connected to friends living on-campus and with the broader College community” (June 22 email). Students may choose the most minimal meal plan (50 meals per semester), another reduced plan, or the full plan. Students must also account for expenses such as rent, utilities, furniture, and groceries, all of which are beyond Conn’s jurisdiction. Sydney Marenburg ‘24 commented, “Between rental costs, furniture, food prices, and transport, after doing the math [off-campus living is] literally going to be 2.33 times the cost of living on campus and using the meal plan.” As more students demand living spaces in New London, prices will likely rise over time too.
The last section of the document reads: “The housing market is tight in the region so once approved it will be important to look for options and to act quickly with the property owner/manager. When approved Residential Life will provide contact information for some local realtors and property managers who may be helpful in the search process.” A simple internet search reveals that there are very limited properties for rent in/around New London, and the few options are rather expensive. Marenburg, additionally, felt that the community is not built for short-term rentals like other college towns. New London is not a college town with the amenities to support a large number of students living in the city. Conn Professor of Sociology and Director of the Holleran Center for Community Action Ronald Flores shared, “We’re seeing an increase in homelessness in the [New London] area affecting many populations but especially seniors (55+).” Abby Dawson ‘25 elaborated, “I have worked with non-profits in the community who say that NL has become unlivable because of the high cost of living. Not to mention, many marginalized populations, especially Black folks, are being pushed out of NL because of it.”
People have mixed feelings about the future of housing at Conn. Some enjoy the feeling of living on their own and having a clear separation between school/work and home. Dowling expressed, “I just graduated but I lived in Manwaring this past year and absolutely loved it…I wish they’d started offering off campus options earlier!” Others are more skeptical about the consequences of allowing off-campus housing: “The College does have to speak to how they see this move affecting the inadequate supply of housing for moderate to low-income families in the city,” Flores wrote.
The 2018-2038 Conn Campus Master Plan lists the main goals in updating the residential facilities over the years. The College plans to “increase the number of apartment-style and suite-style living options on central campus,” “repurpose vestigial dining spaces in existing residence halls to create suite-style housing,” “consider creating a first-year residential experience by co-locating first-year residence halls,” “develop new residential life building(s) to increase the supply of high quality housing,” and “consider long-term ground lease opportunities on land east of Route 32.” None of these goals have been met yet, hence the College’s need to allow off-campus housing to accommodate the large influx of students. Over the next 15 years, the campus will see major changes in residential life. New dorm buildings north of Lazrus House and Blackstone House will “replace the beds presently located [across the highway] in the River Ridge Apartments, 191 Mohegan, and Abbey House,” centralizing residential life on main campus. Will off-campus housing merely be a temporary solution to over-enrollment until these construction plans come to fruition?
