Poster ads pitch dorm living

During the first few weeks of spring semester many students will ask themselves the same question, "Should I live on or off campus next year?" Residential Living has recently tried to help students answer this puzzling question by launching a new advertising campaign advocating on-campus living. The campaign which began on January 12, will consist of a series of four posters and ads that will be revealed over a series of about five weeks, according to Gigi Simeone, director of Residential Living. "We feel there are advantages to on-campus living," Simeone said yesterday. "We weren't sure that students were taking [the advantages of on-campus living] into account when they're making their living decisions." Many of these "advantages" are referred to in the first of a series of posters which blanket campus. "On-campus living offers you the convenience of an excellent location, and an inclusive rent bill," the poster reads. "You don't have to pay heat or electric, you get Penntrex rates, and you won't have to go looking for furniture or someone to sublet for the summer." Simeone said Residential Living met with students who admitted that they had not realized the advantages of on-campus living before they moved off campus. But students who currently live in University dorms said that they are puzzled by the poster. Students understand some of the advantages of living on campus, but said that the University's residences leave something to be desired and that living off campus can, in fact, be cheaper. "If you already live in the High Rises, you will know which remarks are true and which aren't," College sophomore Nancy Wiener said. "It can be cheaper to live off campus and the rooms can be a lot nicer." The poster tells students both the disadvantages of living off campus and the advantages of living on campus. "Maybe the phone company will give you a 15 percent discount on long distance services...," the poster reads. "Maybe your landlord will have a heart of gold and will find personal fulfillment only by promptly responding to every maintenance request you make...Maybe a relative will leave you an entire apartment of really nice furniture...And maybe it's cheaper to live off-campus." According to students yesterday, this section of the poster describes what they will lose by moving off campus. But some students said they do not believe the poster is completely accurate, citing slow maintenance response, dishevled furniture, and rising costs as current University residence problems. "The most disturbing part of the poster is that they think they respond promptly to maintenance problems," College freshman Craig Wellen said. "That's just not true. I've had a broken toilet and no hot water for weeks before it was fixed. You have to fight with them to get someone to fix things." "A lot of things in the High Rises can turn people off to on-campus living," Wiener said. "Bad furniture, slow maintenance and poor lighting are just some of the problems." Wellen said he was also surprised that the poster does not mention the security that University dorms provide. He added that better security is a major advantage that University residences have over off-campus living. "There are pros and cons to living on campus," he said. "The pro of living on campus is the security." But Simeone said yesterday that the campaign, which was planned in December, has not received any critism and that she has heard positive feedback so far. "People thought [the posters] were great -- catchy, fun, and interesting," she said. "The University really has a good story to tell about its housing." "It's a pretty good idea for an ad campaign," Wiener added. "It's catchy and it might tempt people to live on campus. But people who live in the High Rises already aren't going to take it seriously."