Fifty years have passed since the first integration of a mandatory housing policy at Kent State University. Throughout the history of the policy, there have been many modifications and adjustments made, and current students can expect continuing changes throughout their college experience.
In 1962, Kent State University Dean of Students, Glen T. Nygreen, released a new policy statement regarding student living. According to the policy, students would be approved for unsupervised living off campus if they were married, graduate students, or 23 or older.
According to The Daily Kent Stater, this was due to rising complaints from undergraduate students who were found living in unsupervised apartments around Kent. By placing restrictions on the students, Kent State hoped to find some alleviation with the “unsatisfactory situations,” Nygreen said.
Nygreen explained that “the university control is over the students, rather than the off-campus facilities as such.”
Any student who did not fit the material for unsupervised living or filed a local address with the school and was found to be living off-campus could be subject to university discipline and even dismissal.
Later, in 1964, the university met with five different student organizations to discuss lowering the age requirement to live in unsupervised off-campus housing from 23 to 21. Representatives from different student governments and student councils were all present.
Nine years after the established policy in 1964, Kent State found itself buried in student complaints, little to no support from board members and involvement in a. U.S. District Court lawsuit.
In a 9 to 8 vote, the policy was revisited and once again approved by the board. The Stater said, “Mr. Baumgardner stated that basically, the policy calls for freshmen and sophomores being required to live in University housing. He indicated the reasons are all financial.”
This statement had many who disagreed and were in support of the university claiming that required living also helped improve educational programs on campus. While those who took a negative position pointed out that residence halls had to market themselves to students.
Two years before the policy was set to expire, Lawrence Schick, a then-sophomore at Kent State, took legal action against the policy and fought against Kent State in the U.S. District Court in Cleveland. In his argument, he stated that the mandatory policy denied him and other students “due process under the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment.”
Ruling in favor of the University in 1975, Judge William Thomas agreed with Kent State University lawyers. The school’s statement included that though there were ‘financial considerations’ in creating the policy, “the educational benefits provided to dorm residents legitimized it.”
Revisited later in 1976, Kent State’s board of trustees met to decide whether or not to continue with a mandatory housing policy. As expressed through the minutes of the meeting, with a 6 to 1 vote, the board decided to continue the policy with concern for the parents who rely on the housing for freshmen and sophomores along with dorm value.
As of 2023, Kent State University’s current policy requires, “all single students enrolled for 9 or more academic credit hours to reside in the university’s residence halls and participate in the food plan, because the residential experience is viewed as part of the total university education.”
However, this requirement is only applicable until “the student attains junior academic standing (60 semester or 90 quarter credit hours) at the start of the fall semester; the student is 20 years of age at the start of the fall semester; the student has lived in residence halls two or more years; the student commutes from the primary residence of the parent or legal guardian residing within 50 miles of the Kent Campus.”
Jill Jenkins, the Senior Executive Director of University Housing at Kent State said, “Living on campus helps to facilitate students’ connection to campus life and resources. Students also benefit from the learning that occurs through gaining independence, navigating conflicts, and exposure to communities and leadership opportunities.”
Most universities require students under a certain age who are unmarried and have not lived for at least two years in university housing to live on campus unless they are within a 50-mile radius of their campus and can commute from their legal guardian’s residence.
Jade Ramer, a Kent State University alumnus, shared her thoughts on required housing.
“I think it’s wrong for the university to mandate this,” she said. “I think the housing policy is not fair for students for the pure fact of the cost to live on campus and have a dining plan. They do this so that the university can make the most money off of their students.”
Following her graduation, Ramer shared that living off-campus was a valuable experience for her.
“I think living off campus is very beneficial because it teaches students valuable lessons that they will need post-graduation,” she said. “I hope in the future that they change these policies and allow students to experience off campus living sooner in their college experience.”
The Mid-American Conference makes up twelve schools throughout Ohio and Michigan. Kent State University, Ohio State University, Bowling Green State University and many other schools all have similar mandatory housing policies.
As of right now, there have been no considerations from Kent State or any MAC schools on disposing of the mandatory housing policies. Kent State updated its mandatory housing policy on July 1, 2023, and students can expect minor changes or adjustments based on what the school deems necessary.
“Kent State University is gearing up for a housing study to engage university partners and the community in a review of enrollment trends, student expectations for housing, and overall evaluation of the facility condition for the existing residence halls,” Jenkins said.
