Anxious students. Eager landlords. Strict regulations. Off-campus releases. All of the above remind juniors it is time to sign beach leases.
No questions asked, most seniors want to live at Fairfield beach their senior year. Students cherish this privilege and look forward to having a beach house as early as the day of their campus tour.
While many students expect to live at the beach their senior year, being released from the university isn’t guarenteed.
In their junior year, students realize that the excitement of living at the beach is equally matched with anxiety.
According to Director of Residence Life and Housing Gary Stephenson, Students should not sign leases before their off-campus release for a number of reasons including the demand in a free market and fundamental fairness to their classmates.
“The most important reason not to sign another binding contract before being released is the release is actually a formal change in your student status, that relieves you from your housing obligation and contract with the university,” said Stephenson.
Students will continue to be billed and charged for university housing until they have retained off-campus living permission, Stephenson said.
But the worst consequence of signing too early is losing deposit money.
Most students are aware that they can lose their deposit money on a house if not released.
Off-campus release is not guaranteed and students entered in the lottery have the same chances. Nonetheless, students still take the risk.
“We put down a deposit and we are going to be screwed if we aren’t able to get off campus, but we figured it was our only hope,” said Chris Atwell ’08. “If we were going to wait for the lottery selection we would have lost the house that we wanted for next year.”
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