By JEFFREY COLTIN
STAFF WRITER
“Are you moving off [campus] next year?” Only seven weeks into the school year, this is a common question for many Fordham sophomores. Disappointed with Fordham residence halls and excited with the possibilities of living off campus, many current sophomores are looking to move outside the gates into non-Fordham housing.
“Well, I think it was fun freshman year, but it’s like that Billy Joel song: ‘if that’s moving up, then I’m moving out.” Jordan Catalana, GSB ’15, said. She and her roommate in Tierney Hall, Michelle Pathe, FCRH ’15, intend to move off-campus in December, just before the second semester.
“We’re trying to save some money and we found a really great place that’s pretty close to campus and has a lot of space,” Pathe said. “We’re going to give it a shot and see how it goes.” Catalana agreed that money was a motivating factor. She said she has a lot of reasons for moving off campus, “mainly because I can save a lot of money.”
This is a significant worry for many sophomores, especially as U.S. News & World Reportjust named Fordham the school with the most expensive room and board in the nation, at an average cost of $15,374. Students living in the primarily sophomore residence halls Finlay and Tierney each pay an average of around that, in the mid $15,000s. Students living in O’Hare, the other primarily-sophomore hall, have to pay even more, averaging in the low $16,000s.
Hard numbers are difficult to find and averages are nearly impossible, but off-campus, non-Fordham-owned housing is widely considered to be cheaper on average than living on campus. Even disregarding the average price, it is definitely possible to find off-campus housing at a lower price than any dorm on Fordham’s campus. For example, Pathe and Catalana, with their two other roommates, expect to pay $3,750 each for the semester, or $7,500 for the school year. This does not include food like the on-campus price, but the two still expect to save a lot of money.
Not all sophomores are as interested in moving off campus, however. Alex DeSimine, GSB ’15, is considering moving out for junior year, but worries about getting disconnected from his life on campus.
“I have a lot of commitments here on campus and it’s easier to be here and close to things,” DeSimine said.
Danielle Catinella, FCRH ’15 says she has no intention of moving, because she prefers the “comfort” of living on campus.
“On campus, I can walk back to my dorm at 3 a.m. and not feel unsafe,” Catinella said. “Off campus, I can’t do that, especially not by myself.”
Pathe is not as worried. “It seems like a very safe area,” Pathe said. “The whole block has all Fordham kids, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
DeSimine agrees.
“I’m not really worried about safety off campus,” DeSimine said. “I know where to go and not to go and when not to go there.”
“Are you moving off next year?” will surely continue to be a big question among Rose Hill sophomores for the remainder of the year, especially those who agree with Catalana: “I really love Fordham University for a lot of things, but their on-campus [living] arrangements are not one of them.”
