COLUMN: High rises:highway robbery

From David Brown's, "How It Works," Fall '97 From David Brown's, "How It Works," Fall '97 Who cares if on-campus rent is increasing by 2 percent next year? Obviously not high rise residents, who are already paying the highest price for housing in Philadelphia. It is inconceivable why students are complaining about the raise (off-campus residences often rise at least 5 percent annually), while they maintain complacency with their current rates. Students fail to realize they are paying for the most expensive housing in the city -- considering the typical apartment includes a common area, kitchen, bathroom, utilities, furniture and individual bedrooms. Living in a multiple-bedroom apartment will cost each student a hefty $5,560 next year. Stretching the duration of the Department of Housing and Residence Life leases to a nine-month occupancy, this equals a monthly rent of approximately $618. If students would like to live even more like sardines, each may pay $4,230 to live in a three-bedroom quad apartment. Having never lived in the high rises, I cannot expound on experiences of living in such cramped quarters, although I have made many second-hand observations. The average three-bedroom quad has about 700 square feet of living space. Sound like a lot? This means dividing the apartment evenly among its occupants, each is allotted the equivalent of three times a prisoner's cell. Based on monthly rent per square foot of apartment space, the high rises are by far the costliest in the city. The problem is few realize or care what they are paying for. Many students are not allowed by their parents or choose not to live off campus because of fears of crime. While this apprehension is well-founded, it also raises demand. Since the high rises are 94-percent occupied, what businessman would lower rents? Outrageous rents and small living spaces contribute to the decision of living off campus, but there are plenty of other reasons. The elevators are slow, forcing students to allow a time cushion to get to class or in the event they need to run down the stairs. Roommates can get sick of one another, but the walls inside apartments merely block sight and not sound -- full conversation and other activities are easily heard. And once everyone is asleep and the noise is minimal, often times the deafening jolt of a fire alarm forces students out of bed and into the stairwells. As for conveniences, the high rises are severely lacking. Off-campus tenants who renew their leases are rewarded by not needing to move at the end of the school year. However, on-campus residents retaining rooms are forced to store their belongings over the summer and then have to pay exorbitant reactivation costs for the same phone lines. The kitchen is useless except for keeping a 12-pack cold or cooking spaghetti. Dialing a PAC number for anywhere off campus (including toll-free numbers) gets annoying. Rents are required up-front at the beginning of the semester. And getting alcohol into the high rises is a chore. The conventional reasons for living in the high rises are superficial. The ResNet video selection is basic cable plus the movie channel, but nothing else. There is no chance to get premium channels or pay-per-views. The highly touted ethernet is not a necessity unless you are a computer science major requiring long sessions or extensive compiling of programs. Checking e-mail, reading newsgroups and standard Web browsing can be accomplished without ethernet. But, if one gets depressed of the asocial high rise atmosphere, one can easily turn to the Internet's sexual sites, with uninterrupted access and expedient downloading of explicit pictures. The main reasons for those living in the high rises seem to be convenience and security. However, getting ripped off should not be part of the Penn experience. While safety is a problem, alternatives are available. Center City housing is more affordable (several also have flexible leases), and apartments are located in better neighborhoods. Amenities such as ResNet may not be available, but there may be a pool, tennis court, health club, dishwasher and working air conditioner. Living in a relatively safe area off campus may mean exorbitant rents but not as high as the high rises, especially in the prestigious locations (such as Beige Block, 3900 Pine and 4000 Locust). Off-campus life provides students with ample space, independence and also more responsibility. The high rises are only convenient since there are no interactions with utility companies. Gaining experience living off-campus now -- with friends, family, and the Office of Off-Campus Living backing you up is a good choice. Leaving Penn clueless on how to turn on utilities or complain to a landlord means all degrees received at graduation will be useless, if you cannot figure out how to live independently, away from the Department of Housing and Residence Life. Students need to make better financial decisions and learn from off-campus experiences. Signing a lease requires immediate maturity and responsibility. And that's what should be a part of the Penn experience.