Some Athletes Struggle without Campus Housing

For many high school students, college life is portrayed as not only a place for higher education, but also a sense of community, rather than housing, organizations, or clubs. But for first-time college students, staying on campus is what many incoming freshmen look forward to. It’s a breath of new life, new responsibilities, new friends, and a transition into adulthood for most.

But here at  Langston University, many incoming students were left with no housing or placed in rooms that were not originally where the student was assigned. The lack of on-campus housing has forced many first-time students, athletes, and returning students to find alternative living arrangements rather than be on campus or somewhere near campus. The shortage of student housing is more than an inconvenience; it is a direct threat to student success.

For many incoming athletes, the struggle of not having permanent housing has had an impact. Many players were living together, sleeping on the couches of each other’s rooms, some even making a makeshift bed and sleeping on the floor. By forcing students to live off campus, often in shared spaces or under the risk of fines, the university creates unnecessary challenges that can negatively affect academics. 

Living off campus can play a larger role when it comes to student success and academic performance. Being a student who drives 40+ minutes to campus, I feel as if I could relate to most of the students and athletes who also do the same. For example, students who have transportation troubles getting to campus. Staying further away from campus has caused me to run into traffic many times, which resulted in tardiness or missed classes altogether, which affected my grades, causing them to drop. 

Living off campus also takes away valuable time from students that could be used studying, tutoring, or simply talking to a teacher for extra help. But beyond the academic and money side of things, having a housing shortage takes a toll on students’ mental health. As many know, college is a stressful time. Adding the inconvenience of students having to stay with other students or not having housing at all, students are likely to perform worse in the classroom.

According to a study by Philippe Bou Malham and Brian Clark, who are teachers at Oregon University, first-time students or full-time freshmen from the US have higher GPAs, higher retention rates, and faster graduation times when they spend their academic years on campus. In another research article published by PubMed, data showed that students who faced housing insecurity or homelessness were more likely to have lower GPAs than those who stayed on campus.

I had the privilege of interviewing Aaliyah Wilson, a junior nursing major from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. During our interview, she brought up many great points about the negative side of it all. When asked to describe the struggles of being a college student with no housing, she first stated it was very “stressful” and “making the drive back and forth is very time-consuming.”

Although Wilson has the privilege of being from Oklahoma, she still commits to making the 50+ minute drive to campus every day. Wilson said this is very inconvenient time-wise and financially because there were times she came to campus just for the teacher to cancel class, and now she is out of gas that could have been saved.

She stated how in times like those, “she had hours to figure out something else to do” instead of being able to go back home like other students. A very important and overlooked detail. She described how hard it may be to attend “after-school activities” and make friends because she has to go home at a certain time, or can not have too much fun knowing she has to drive back home safely.

Being a commuting student with no housing myself, I could relate to that statement made by Wilson. Making friends while not staying on campus is very challenging because you can’t spend as much time with other people and gain genuine connections. 

I was also able to get a quick word from student athlete Jacobi Johnson, a senior football player who is also from Oklahoma City, but still has no housing. Johnson told me the hardest part is waking up early in the morning just to leave campus late and barely having any time to do homework or just relax after a long day. As a football player, Jacobi’s day usually starts around 3:30 in the morning. Due to staying off campus and having football practice at 4:30 in the morning, Jacobi is in a constant struggle of having to wake up much earlier than most of his teammates, who stay on campus.

Jacobi stated how “driving every day and not getting no rest” is the most stressful part about being a student athlete who also stays about 30 minutes from campus. 

College is supposed to be a time for learning, growth, and making new connections. Students shouldn’t have to be forced into uncomfortable living situations due to Langston’s incompetence and failure to have enough functioning dorms available for the number of students they’ve accepted.

Students should come to college to gain higher education and make friends; college should not be a place where students come to worry more about where they’ll sleep than about their schoolwork.