Lake Campus | Photo by Shannon McCabe | Edited by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State Lake Campus housing community celebrated its tenth anniversary on Aug. 20 with fall semester move-in, welcoming a total of 76 students. Of the 76 students moving in this year, only 11 were returning residents.
Coronavirus impact on housing choices
Coronavirus concerns the past two years reduced the housing population, but with this fall’s cohort, the numbers are swinging back towards pre-pandemic averages.
According to Lake Campus Community Coordinator Tiffany Hamilton, the maximum occupancy in Lake Campus villas is 96 residents. The average number of residents hovers between 80 and 90 students.
“In August 2019, we had 86, which is about our average,” Hamilton said.
Lake campus had 36 residents for fall 2020, according to Hamilton, 12 of which were returners. Prior to that, at the onset of the coronavirus in 2019, only three of 86 total residents remained on campus after it was suggested that students living on campus return home to complete the semester online.
Proximity major factor in housing applications
Despite coronavirus concerns and restrictions, proximity to campus still appears to be the driving factor for on-campus housing decisions.
Fully vaccinated freshman Erin Suder traveled from Cincinnati to pursue her education degree at the Lake Campus, over 100 miles from her hometown.
Freshman agriculture student Sierah Geldbaugh is not vaccinated and is from Beavercreek, approximately 90 miles from Celina.
Both freshmen said they were not concerned about the coronavirus and any risk associated with living on campus was not a factor in their decision.
“Since COVID is a factor, I’m trying not to make it the center of my college experience. Basically, I’m trying to do all the things other college students have experienced while staying safe,” Geldbaugh said.
Returning resident and sophomore graphic design major Emily Weigandt, who is fully vaccinated but immunocompromised, decided to return to campus. Weigandt requested a single room to keep potential exposure to any kind of illness to a minimum.
