Exterior of The Point on Lane, located at 2212 Tuttle Park Place, where some second-year students reside amid housing concerns. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
Just over two weeks into the fall semester, first- and second-year students are adjusting to campus life’s hustle and bustle, and they’re also settling into their new homes — some of which are off campus.
Following a record number of applicants — with an estimated over 9,000 first-year students enrolled for the 2024-25 academic year — on-campus housing has become limited for first- and second-year students, according to previous Lantern reporting. Current second-year students, in contrast to previous classes, had the opportunity to be released from their housing contracts to find off-campus accommodations, university spokesperson Dave Isaacs said in an email.
First- and second-year students typically live on campus, according to the Office of Student Life Housing and Residence Education website.
Select second-years — specifically 88 students, Isaacs said — moved into The Point On Lane complex, located at 2212 Tuttle Park Place, for no extra charge. Isaacs said any given student could choose whether or not they wanted to apply for off-campus housing.
“We know that living on campus, particularly for first and second-year students, contributes to student success, and we prioritize our undergraduate living spaces for newer Buckeyes,” Isaacs said.
Isaacs said approved students were not charged a housing release fee and were offered support from Willie J. Young, Sr. Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement, a resource center that hosts the Ohio State Off-Campus Housing Network.
For select students who ranked second-year, they were notified by the university that they could move off campus into The Point on Lane, Isaacs said in an email. This measure was also utilized with different apartment buildings in 2016 when there was a previous student housing shortage, according to prior Lantern reporting.
“We are staffing this location as we do all our other residence halls with Resident Advisors and professional staff,” Isaacs said. “Student Life is providing the same support, both financial and programmatic, that is offered to others living in on-campus housing.”
Underclassmen living on campus may also be experiencing different housing situations compared to previous years, as Morrill and Lincoln towers now contain 16 students per suite, Isaacs said.
Maddie Herbert, a first-year in sports industry, said she was concerned about living with so many roommates.
“Initially, before I moved in, I did a 3D view of the room and I was a little skeptical about it,” Herbert said. “Having 15 people in this room is a pro and con at the same time.”
Though some students, like Herbert, were skeptical about the dorms, Isaacs said Morill and Lincoln towers were originally designed with the intention of housing 16 students, despite housing less in recent years.
“Ohio State has flexible and varied room configurations that are designed to offer a range of living options (e.g. singles, doubles, triples, quads and variously configured suites),” Isaacs said. “This variety allows the university to effectively accommodate fluctuations in enrollment.”
Living with a large number of people also gives students more of an opportunity to establish a close-knit friend group, Herbert said.
“Having 15 other people in this room gives me 15 people I know I can go to for help; I know I can send a text if they want to go to Target with me,” Herbert said. “It is comforting.”
This story was updated Sept. 4 at 10:21 a.m. to include the number of students who moved into Point on Lane and at 12:54 p.m. to specify there are an estimated 9,000-plus first-year students, not 9,000-plus students in total.
