Tristate colleges and universities are getting creative to accommodate the large number of students who want to live on campus — and, as fall term nears, some are showing off new digs built to satisfy rising demand.

        Northern Kentucky University is taking the most extraordinary measures of any local school to squeeze in every student, though it's following a pattern similar to other schools across the commonwealth and some in Greater Cincinnati.

Students are moving into dorms at Northern Kentucky University this weekend; classes start Monday. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        Experts cite the increasing cost of tuition and a flagging economy as reasons students are choosing state schools over private ones. But several factors are converging to increase the housing demand across the board.

        There has been an upswing in the number of high school graduates over the past several years. And because universities are moving away from the cramped quarters and gang-style showers of dorm rooms of the past to more suite-style apartment living, students are opting to stay on campus longer.

        “The net effect is that ... they're more attractive and people want to live there,” said Gary Schwarzmueller, executive director of the Association of College and University Housing Officers International. “They get their needs met easier.”

        To keep NKU students happy, officials are implementing an aggressive housing improvement plan that includes new refrigerators and paint, a wellness center and picnic areas.

        “What NKU is experiencing is continuing growth in enrollment,” said Mark Shanley, vice president for student affairs. “We are the fastest-growing university in the state of Kentucky.”

BACK TO SCHOOL

The first day of fall classes for Tristate colleges and universities:    Cincinnati State: Sept. 3.    College of Mount St. Joseph: Sept. 26.    Miami University: Tuesday.    Northern Kentucky University: Monday.    Thomas More College: Wednesday.    University of Cincinnati: Sept. 25.    University of Dayton: Aug. 26.    Xavier University: Sept. 26.

        The university's enrollment has grown by about 41 percent in the last 15 years. This semester alone, it will show an 8 percent to 10 percent boost in enrollment over last year, Dr. Shanley said.

        Fall 2000 was the first year the school had 100 percent dorm occupancy. Last year, officials started with 106 percent and had to triple the occupancy of one-bedroom apartments at a discount. This fall, they will continue the tripling approach, but also will contract with a local apartment complex called Highland Ridge to house 48 students off-campus. A resident adviser will stay among them at the complex.

        Bridget Flanagan, 21, of Western Hills will live in the apartments.

        “It'll be different for me because I've lived in the same exact dorm room for three years,” the senior recreation fitness major said. “I think they're doing the best they can.”

        NKU recently broke ground on a new, suite-style 400-bed housing facility, but it won't be open until fall 2003.

        “We think that will put us in shape for several years,” Dr. Shanley said.

        Miami University in Oxford is expecting the largest freshman class in school history with about 3,659 students compared to the usual 3,450. Officials attribute the enrollment increase to the university's surge in popularity and growing academic quality.

        “More people accepted our offer than we were anticipating,” said Holly Wissing, a university spokeswoman. “A lot of families that might have gone Ivy League or Northwestern are now going to publics like Miami, University of Michigan and University of Virginia.”

        Miami will transform triple rooms that had been made into doubles back to triples again to make enough room.

        The College of Mount St. Joseph opened a third floor of the Seton Center East building. Last year, two floors were opened so more students could live on campus, spokeswoman Linda Liebau said.

        “We are not fully at capacity,” she said. “Had we not opened up this wing, it might have been a problem.”

        For the first time this fall, the school will require freshmen who live beyond a 35-mile radius of the college to stay on campus.

        The University of Cincinnati, Thomas More College and Xavier University have all recently opened dorms that will meet the high demand for on-campus living.

        Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky., is proudly showing off its new dorm, which is opening today for student move-in.

        “We had a waiting list the last couple of years,” said Jack Parker, vice president for institutional advancement.

        When classes start Wednesday, 160 more beds will be available on campus in the suite-style apartments.

        Xavier University opened a new student apartment complex last year called the Commons, which houses 274 student residents.

        Last year, because of renovations, more than 100 University of Cincinnati students were housed in converted residence hall lounges and 15 were given rooms in nearby Vernon Manor, where UC installed a resident adviser and rented space for a study hall.

        UC is opening this fall the first housing facility on campus since 1971, two buildings collectively called the Jefferson Halls. Because so many people wanted to live in the 587-capacity building, officials had to use a lottery.

        “The next time we'll be feeling a pinch is when in the next few years when we renovate (the dorms) we call "The Three Sisters' (Morgens, Scioto and Sawyer halls),” said university spokesman Greg Hand.

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