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Aug 21, 2008 5:13 pm US/Central
Cost Of Living On Campus Often Less Than Commuting
ARLINGTON (CBS 11 News) ―
It's moving day at the University of Texas Arlington.
"It's hectic!" said student Kemi Qadri. "There are a lot of people moving in today. I thought the earlier I come the better, but there's a lot of people moving in today."
Cars, pick-ups and mini-vans lined up in front of campus dormitories. There were piles of belongings neatly stacked along the sidewalks. Students raced back and forth from inside the building to load carts and dollies with suitcases, computers and laundry baskets before heading upstairs to on-campus residence halls.
There was a time when commuting to campus from surrounding towns was a money-saver. Not any more. In the uphill budget battle of the student, they simply can't afford to commute with the high gas prices.
"I spend about $20 just going home," student Karla Arenas said. "So it'd be like forty bucks every day."
"Gas prices now, they're terrible," said Qadri. "It's better to live on campus."
"It is much more expensive, I believe, to go back and forth, back and forth," said Maria Marrufo, a parent helping her son move into a residence hall. "And the wear and tear on the car and everything? I think it's a much better deal here."
Reports show requests for beds on campus are up 30 to 40 percent here. Other North Texas campus are following the trend. It's cheaper to pay the $2,000 a semester or so to stay on campus than it is to commute.
If gas prices are changing the way people think of dorm rooms, the demand for dorm rooms is changing the way people register for school.
"I give tours of residence halls," said Hernan Gonzalez, a campus volunteer. "They come over and they're like, 'Wow! I went to visit these other universities but, wow! These residence halls are awesome. I want to live here!' And they sign up right away. Even though they haven't applied for school they've already applied to live on campus."
If gas prices stay high, the hectic moving days will likely continue.
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