Transfers to be wait-listed for housing
By Kami Lewis
Staff Reporter

Housing deposits are no longer being accepted for transfer students because of last fall’s housing crunch, said Karen Baker, assistant director of Residential Services. Instead, transfer students interested in on-campus housing are directed to a Web site for a housing waiting list.

“On-campus housing hasn’t been guaranteed to transfers in recent years, but we’ve made an effort to fit those who wanted to live on campus in as soon as we could,” Baker said. “Too often that was the second week in July, if at all, and many times it was just too late.”

Baker said the decision not to offer on-campus housing for transfers was given much consideration, and passed through the dean of admissions as well as the vice chancellor of student affairs.

Joael McMullen, director of transfer admissions, said she has routinely told incoming students for the past several years not to count on campus housing.

“Every year the likelihood of housing is minimal for these students,” McMullen said. “They are at the bottom of the totem pole for housing priority.”

McMullen said that about two thirds of fall transfer students tend to be older adults, local residents or people eager to get apartments in the area, and approximately 117 students are sophomores from other colleges who likely want housing.

“Living on campus is an important part of the whole TCU experience,” McMullen said. “I would love to be able to see it offered to these students, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.”

McMullen said the only way she believes transfers could be guaranteed a space on campus would be if another dorm was built to ease the housing congestion.

Glen Pfenninger said he managed to get into the Tom Brown/Pete Wright Apartment Community when he transferred in fall 2001.

“Being off campus would be one of the worst things possible for a transfer student,” Pfenninger said. “It is so hard to get connected to the TCU community when you’re a transfer and you’re put off campus.”

Kami Lewis
k.e.lewis2@student.tcu.edu

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