Tulane University undergraduates returning to campus this year were met with changes to on-campus living, including new dorms, a new requirement for juniors to live on campus and adjustments to student parking.
Juniors who do not study abroad are now required to live in an on-campus dorm and purchase a meal plan, policies that previously only applied to first-years and sophomores.
To accommodate these students, the new suite-style dorms, Bayou Residence Hall and Fogelman Residence Hall, were unveiled in August. With 780 new beds, the new dorms increase the availability of on-campus housing. Living in these new upperclassmen residence halls will cost students anywhere from $12,752 to $14,230 per year.
“Instead of having all my furniture and things for two years in a house, I only have it for [senior] year, so I have to spend more money for less time of using things,” junior Ryan Clark said.
According to the Tulane Housing and Residence Life website, the policy change was for the dual purpose of “sustain[ing] the integrity of the neighborhood communities that surround the university,” as well as keeping students “engaged academically and socially.”
“If they’re gonna keep juniors on campus, have them in singles … we’re too old for doubles,” Clark said.
First-years and sophomores also face the removal of specific meal plans and dining options for the new school year. The option for sophomores to choose between the TU 15, TU 10 or TU 7 meal plans, which offered more WaveBucks$ in exchange for fewer meal swipes per week, has been eliminated. Students can now only purchase unlimited meal swipe dining plans.
The Dining Room at Malkin Sacks Commons introduced to-go meal containers this semester, giving students an option to use a meal swipe but take their food elsewhere. Students can check out these reusable containers upon entering the dining hall and must return them to designated locations on campus within three days.
To promote use of the ReusePass program, Tulane implemented a $2.50 fee if choosing single-use, disposable packaging for food bought from the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life.
Sophomore and junior residential students can no longer purchase Tulane parking passes, due to “multiple construction projects” on campus that reduced parking availability. Previously, only first-years were not allowed to purchase parking permits.
Sophomore Alexis Cooke said she wanted to bring her car to school to explore more outside of the Tulane area. “I feel like I’m not able to do as many things in New Orleans as I wanted to,” Cooke said. “Ubering just makes it hard to explore.”
Despite the new changes, students are finding ways to bring their cars to campus.
“My teammate had to pay extra to get a ticket from a senior … seniors are selling parking passes [to juniors] for a super high price,” sophomore Francesca Pompa said.
To compensate for the reduced transport options, Tulane offers shuttle services, free to students, to help them get around New Orleans. The Green Line connects the Uptown and Downtown Tulane campuses, and the Makin’ Groceries Lines provides transportation to grocery stores for students on the first and third Sunday of every month.
Brooke Spurlock contributed to the reporting of this story
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