Approximately 300 students will remain in tripled dorms next semester, and that number is less than half of the number of students that started the year in triples.
This fall, AU opened its residence halls with about 675 students in triples, largely freshmen, according to Chris Moody, executive director of Housing and Dining Programs.
As of Nov. 2, there are still approximately 320 freshmen living in triples on main campus.
All involuntarily tripled students were given two opportunities: to de-triple into their original residence halls or to de-triple into Clark Hall.
Around 35 de-tripled students moved into Clark.
Because all of its residents come from different halls on campus, there is concern about the strength of Clark Hall’s new community, according to Assistant Director of Operations for Facilities and Vendor Services Sophia Benedicktus.
“I think it’s harder [to build a community in Clark] when you’re just de-tripling students from Letts or McDowell or Leonard and putting them in a new, smaller building,” Benedicktus said.
There is no formal lounge in Clark, and Roper Hall has had problems with plumbing and the card readers on its washing machines.
The number of students who want to stay in triples has generally increased every year for the past 10 years, according to Moody.
From 2000 to 2007, the University expected roughly one-third of students to stay in triples. In 2008 about 40 percent stayed, and last year it was 50 percent.
Moody said all of these triples are intact by choice. Students frequently start out opposed to the idea of a triple, but often discover the rooms are not as bad as they thought, he said.
Moody believes triples have positive economic and social benefits. Many students say they are content with triples.
“Either it’s a good economical option for students and families … or students are just happy [with the triples],” said Moody.
Triple-occupancy rooms cost $3,295 per person each semester this year, compared with $4,509 per person each semester in a double-occupancy room, according to the Housing and Dining website. These rates apply to all residence halls other than Nebraska Hall, which has a higher rate.
Tripling is becoming a common phenomenon at many academic institutions where living space has become increasingly limited, according to Benedicktus.
Benedicktus also feels that triple rooms can have a positive effect on students’ experiences with their roommates.
“I think that there’s something to be said for having a third person in the space because you’re able to change up the [social] dynamic a bit,” she said.
Anastasia Crittenton, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, started off the year in a double room, but a third person moved into her room in late September.
“Sometimes you can get lucky with three people, but there’s always the danger of having a third wheel,” she said.
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