House Hunting

From the Editor: House Hunting
(Hyde Park Seminarian, April 4, 2007)

This past weekend, I moved into the Graduate Student Co-op on University Ave. I now have fifteen housemates, remarkably low rent, and actually not that long a wait for the shower or laundry machines to be free. You could say so far I’m enjoying it.

Even though I have a new home for probably the rest of my seminary life, I am often aware of the increasing difficulty seminarians face finding housing in Hyde Park. CTS recently lost the last of its on-campus housing, which has created an all-commuter campus, and several of my classmates either struggle to pay Hyde Park rents, or commute from long distances to campus most days in the week.

The situation varies from one school to another, but all seem to have some sort of trouble with lack of housing space: Only full-time students and their families may live in McCormick housing, which may be financially impossible for many students these days. LSTC recently restricted its policies on which students and recent graduates could live in their dorms. Meadville can only house part of its first-year class in its residential buildings. Students at CTU have not been happy about the renovation plans for their on-campus residences, saying the design doesn’t meet the needs of their lives today. Students at the UofC may find the prices or size of student housing options frustrating.

In coming years, seminaries will need to be attentive to their students’ concerns about housing and make reasonable efforts to address them. The makeup of the student body has changed dramatically since the 60’s or earlier when most residences were built. Also, in landlocked Hyde Park, it strikes me that the seminaries should find some way to cooperate to provide housing to a greater number of students at affordable rates. This would have the added benefit of being neighborly with students from other schools and faith traditions--good practice for today’s world realities.

In the meantime, you may also find yourself looking for alternative housing. There are several housing co-ops or intentional communities in Hyde Park. The largest is the Qumbya Co-op, which has three buildings spread throughout the neighborhood. Each building has its own ‘vibe,’ and rooms come available throughout the year. Div. School students and other seminarians usually live in each house. The Grad Student Co-op will have several openings available this summer as students graduate. There are application processes for both systems, and you can find out more at the web addresses below:

www.qumbya.com

graduate.coop@gmail.com (write for details)

Peace,
Le Anne