By Jonathan Beard.
Cuyahoga Community College held focus group sessions at its Western Campus in Parma, OH on Monday, September 25. The groups were meant to gauge interest by students in possible housing at Tri-C’s western campus. The studies were done in cooperation with DLR Group, an architecture firm based in Omaha, NE with offices in Cleveland, OH.
Community colleges around the United States have increasingly explored housing possibilities, especially in light of the housing situation in the United States. In the state of California, lawmakers approved plans to allocate $1.4 billion into housing at public campuses – including community colleges. On-campus housing options also exists at Tri-C. The recent addition of the Cleveland Scholar House, an apartment complex in downtown Cleveland shared with Cleveland State University, reflects changes taking place around the country.
“The housing situation is pretty rough right now.” said Bobby Zeiger, who studies account at Tri-C, and lives in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood. He says getting to the Western Campus is a 20-minute drive for him. “Not too close.” He explained. For that reason, Zeiger saw campus housing as an appealing possible option. “I think it would be a pretty good idea, it would definitely help in my case at least, be lot less of a drive to make.” he said.
“I wouldn’t mind having dorm-like buildings here.” said Quentin Hudson. Hudson lives with his parents not far from the college, but saw it as a potential option, especially for students who live further away from Parma. “I think that’s a good idea for helping students get to their classes and get to a place where they can find themselves at home.”
