Current Taylor Place residents have the opportunity to live in the dorms for free over the summer.
Students who have renewed their living with Taylor Place for the 2012-2013 school year can apply for a free room over the summer, with verification that they will either be working or taking ASU classes during that time.
“This initiative is for the students who are challenged with the question ‘Should I go back in the fall?’” said Kevin Schaudt, director of operations for Taylor Place. “We want to be sure they’re not just hanging around all summer.”
Taylor Place is the only ASU dorm offering free housing this summer, university housing officials said.
The initiative was put in place mainly for students who have obtained summer internships or have jobs that require summer employment, Schaudt said.
A number of the students who have applied for summer housing are also working on campus or at the Arizona Center, he said.
“Finances are so critical to our students,” Schaudt said. “If we can help them be more successful in their personal lives, to ultimately help with their academic lives, we will.”
Because Taylor Place houses various summer programs over the summer, those taking advantage of the free housing will still have to move to a designated floor in tower two of the dorms.
“It’s a lot easier to move to a different floor than to an apartment or back home,” Schaudt said.
Joey Post, a journalism sophomore, will be living in Taylor Place over the summer for the second year in a row.
“Work is right across the street,” Post said. “(Living in Taylor Place) makes more sense than commuting, paying for parking and filling up on gas. It offers the same convenience as during the school year.”
Post said he spent over one thousand dollars on summer housing in Taylor Place last year, and is grateful for the new policy.
Students who don’t currently pay for their Taylor Place housing, such as hired community assistants, will have to recruit two people to renew their housing for next year in order to be eligible for free summer housing.
“I have already recruited one person, and am still looking for one more to renew their housing,” said Dylan Abrams, a resident college student leader and journalism sophomore. “Last summer I commuted on a bus for an hour every day to get to work, and I do not want to relive that experience.”
Schaudt said he believes free housing will continue the student life experience, and create a stronger intimacy among those who decide to stay.
“Phoenix is also very different over the summer, and we’re giving students a chance to see that,” Schaudt said.
Post said living in the dorms over the summer can seem boring, but that there are plenty of great opportunities in the city.
“You can go to a Diamondbacks or Suns game, there’s plenty of cool restaurants, and, of course, food trucks!” Post said.
Schaudt said this “one time initiative” was an across-the-board effort with Taylor Place and University Housing.
The deadline for students to apply for summer housing is Friday, May 4th.
Contact the reporter at kevin.p.fallon@asu.edu
