Freshmen talk dorms at RMU

Freshmen students at Robert Morris University are halfway through their first semester of college. Some freshmen were given the traditional on-campus housing while some were placed in housing located off campus.

One of the off campus housing options at RMU is called Yorktown hall which was initially the Holiday Inn Pittsburgh Airport until RMU purchased the hotel in 2011. There are 715 freshmen that live on campus and 100 that live in Yorktown.

“One thing I like about Yorktown is we get our own bathrooms and the rooms are spacious”, said Levi Brown, a freshman journalism major.

Brown loves his room in Yorktown. He expressed how proud he is of the setup of his room and the convenience of never having to leave Yorktown for food or going to the gym. However, he did mention that he does not like the timing of the shuttle schedule to get to and from campus.

“I do want to see how it is to live in traditional dorms because it’s more convenient,” said Brown. “When I tell someone ‘Hey, I’m going back to my dorm’ that means I’ll be back in 30, not 10 or 5.”

Brown further explained going to Yorktown, grabbing what he needs from his room, and catching the shuttle back to campus can take 30 minutes. If he lived on campus, he would not have to worry about taking the shuttle to his dorm.

“I wouldn’t say I like it very much, it kind of reminds me of a prison cell,” said Arthur Morrow, a freshman mechanical engineering major.

Morrow isn’t very pleased with how his dorm is setup in Gallatin Hall. When asked, he said that he loves the school just not the dorms. He also mentioned where he plans to live next year.

“Hopefully off campus because my brother lives three minutes away from here in the townhouses behind Yorktown. I’ll just walk to the shuttle to get to classes or my brother can take me before he goes to work,” said Morrow.

Morrow also mentioned that Gallatin hall was not one of three housing options he chose online prior to arriving at RMU in August. He chose Adams, Monroe, and Hancock halls.

“All of our freshmen are allocated based on the preferences they selected in their contract,” said Ashley Haney, the assistant director of Residence Life. “So some students may end up at Yorktown or somewhere else they don’t want to be for the reason of they didn’t match their preferences with their roommate.”

Haney mentioned that they never put students in Yorktown unless it’s one of their preferences. She also stated that if students initially chose Yorktown, and decided to live somewhere else on campus, they’ll still end up in Yorktown.

“The best way to do it is to go in and do the contract together. The earlier you put it in, the better chances you have of getting the preferences you want,” said Haney, “But if you pick a roommate who put their contract in late, it messes up your chances of getting the housing you want.”