The increase in off-campus apartments could affect on-campus housing at Michigan State. Kat Cooper, chief communications officer of Residential and Hospitality Services, sees the influx as a complicated situation.
Michigan State University offers fewer than 16,000 beds, so while others might see off-campus housing as competition, Cooper sees it as necessary. (Photo by Sylvia Jarrus.)
Michigan State University offers fewer than 16,000 beds, so while others might see off-campus housing as competition, Cooper sees it as necessary.
“It’s a relationship that really needs each other in order to be successful,” Cooper said.
Cooper says the increase in leasing options off-campus simply “changes the marketplace.”
Because the halls require a certain number of residents each year to maintain the buildings, Cooper said the university is always considering the numbers and hoping that more second-year students consider living on-campus.
Cooper says she thinks the off-campus market is becoming oversaturated and creates pressure for students to find housing too early in the school year.
“I think it’s going to create market pressure and we’re going to have smaller complexes or older complexes really feel the pressure to update, to drop prices, to go after students harder. I think that creates a lot of anxiety for students very early in the semester that feel like they have to have their housing figured out.”
There are currently no plans to update on-campus housing options, but Cooper said that MSU is always looking to make MSU a better place for students to live.