With the ever-growing community of students enrolling at Rowan University, options for housing have been expanding to accommodate the amount of undergraduates opting to live on-campus.

According to data provided by the Department of Residential Learning and University Housing, the fall 2016 semester saw the largest number of enrolled students housed through the department of residential learning and housing in the history of the university. The data also shows a clear increase in the amount of upperclassmen choosing to stay on-campus, in residence halls such as Rowan Boulevard Apartments and 220 On the Boulevard, rather than off-campus in a house.

As of the 2014 school year, 21 percent of all enrolled juniors and 11 percent of all enrolled seniors were housed through Rowan and lived somewhere on-campus. In 2015 the statistics were nearly the same, with 20 percent of juniors and 11 percent of seniors housed through the university. As of the fall 2016 semester, 28 percent of juniors and 18 percent of seniors were housed through the department of residential learning and university housing.

Some upperclassmen attribute this increase to the accessibility of living in housing like 220 on the Boulevard.

Junior electrical engineering major Richard Griggel currently lives on-campus in 220 On the Boulevard with three other people, but also lives with his parents in Glassboro when he is not in school.

“We chose 220 because it’s the same cost as RoBo, but with more amenities, like a dishwasher and a full-size bed,” Griggel said.

Griggel said he and his roommates plan on staying in 220 On the Boulevard for their senior year.

“As a junior [becoming] a senior you can stay here and reserve your same room for the coming year, so you don’t have to move out.”

Another student said the convenience of not having to pay for utilities has kept him in 220 On the Boulevard during both his junior and senior years.

“For me, it was a really convenient spot to live, due to its location across the bookstore and the fact that you don’t have to pay for utilities,” said senior radio, television and film major Andrew Stewart, over email. “I decided to room there in 2015 because it was a brand new housing option at the time, and since it was the same price as RoBo, I really couldn’t pass it up. I’d recommend it to anyone that wants that off-campus feel while still being on campus.”

According to Travis Douglas, the assistant vice president for residential learning and inclusion programs, he only expects a growing amount of Rowan students to apply for housing through Rowan and the surrounding Nexus properties.

“I think we do expect that we will continue to see some growth in overall housing between Rowan housing as well as the affiliated housing through Nexus,” Douglas said. “Next year, they’re opening the building which is called A-3 right now, but it will have a different name by the time it opens. That building will house about 500 additional Rowan students.”

The total occupancy for 220 On the Boulevard is a maximum of 456 residents. According to Alyssa Hart, resident manager from Nexus Properties, the new A-3 buildings, which will also be called 230 Victoria Street and 223 West High Street, will house 413 and 144 people, respectively.

“We predict 100 percent occupancy for both buildings,” Hart said in an email.

For comments/questions about this story, email news@thewhitonline.com or tweet @TheWhitOnline.