The cost of living is always growing, and in rough economic times people may find housing to be one of the biggest financial burdens they can carry.
However, for the students of Dixie State College, the cost of living on campus is relatively affordable—especially in comparison to other major colleges across the state.
DSC’s highest current housing rate is still below the average of almost every other destination school in Utah.
Utah State University’s housing averages about $1,300 per semester, and Southern Utah University comes in at roughly $1,400. Brigham Young University charges students an average of $1,700 per semester, and University of Utah tops the list with an average of $2,100 for a semester of on-campus living.
When compared to DSC’s average of $925, it’s safe to say students in St. George are reaping financial benefits in the form of lower housing rates.
DSC’s growth toward university status promises more on-campus options, and DSC President Stephen Nadauld said the newer housing would cost students more money. However, the current Nisson Towers and Shiloh Hall would still be available at a lower rate.
“What we’d like to see is at least another 300 beds [on campus],” Nadauld said. “They’d be more expensive, and they’d have more amenities.”
Nadauld said there are plans in place to build new housing just west of Nisson Towers, but he hasn’t set a date for completion yet.
“As far as housing that’s sponsored by the college, we really need to add some,” he said. “We’ve been working on it for much longer than I thought it would take.”
But as far as cost is concerned, students living on campus aren’t complaining too much.
Dixie Sun News polled 135 random students from across campus to find out what they thought of DSC’s housing.
Of those polled, 80 percent said the housing prices were fair for the quality of life. However, 27 students said the semester average for on-campus housing was too steep.
Fewer students thought the quality of life on campus was worth the price. Seventy-three percent gave the college a fair rating for housing quality, but 36 students said living the DSC life wasn’t up to par.
Bailee Christiansen, a freshman English major from St. George, lives off campus, but the bulk of her friends live in the college-provided housing.
“They said sometimes it’s cramped,” Christiansen said. “But they all like the social [attributes of living on campus], and it overrides any negatives they feel.”
She said her friends mostly focus on the positive aspects of dormitory life.
“It’s nice that it’s really close to all the classes,” she said. “You get to meet a lot of different people from a lot of different backgrounds and get to associate with people [whom] you wouldn’t otherwise.”
Nadauld said students housed on campus are more likely to attend sporting events and utilize college buildings. He said the process may be slower than initially planned, but it’s still moving forward.
“It’ll definitely happen,” Nadauld said. “My hope is that we’ll have new housing online…for the fall of 2014.”
