When freshmen moved into their University undergraduate dorms this August, most found their rooms to be satisfactory. But for Vance Jordan, freshman in Engineering, his current living situation is a little cramped.

Jordan is in temporary housing in Snyder Hall, which he shares with three other roommates in the floor lounge. Their room only has the essentials – four beds, four desks and four closets.

“I guess it could be worse,” he said. “But for the four of us to be put in this lounge is a little too much to take. My desk is in a corner and that’s where I spend most of my time when I’m in my room. So I’m not too comfortable.”

Although there is a record number of freshmen at the University this year, about 7,600, according to Kirsten Ruby, assistant director of University housing, the large incoming group is not to blame for Jordan’s crowded space. Each year about 150 freshmen are put into temporary housing for the first few weeks of school.

Ruby said one of the main reasons some freshmen end up in temporary housing is that they turned in their housing contracts late. Housing is done on first come, first served basis.

Normally, temporary housing students are moved into permanent rooms a week or two after the semester begins. Open spaces appear because some students drop out of the University, move into certified housing, or move into fraternity and sorority houses, Ruby said.

Once the University knew about the larger incoming freshman class, Ruby said additional steps were taken to ensure all University Hall residents had a place to stay.

In order to accommodate the number of students, Sherman Hall was converted from a graduate hall into an undergraduate hall for returning students. Since Sherman Hall has only single rooms, returning undergraduate students were given the benefit of living in Sherman over incoming freshmen.

“Many returning students transferred into Sherman Hall, which opened up the dorms for freshmen,” Ruby said.

For Jordan, not enough space was made. Although he said he gets along with his three other roommates, he still wants to move into his permanent room as soon as possible.

“Even though there’s not a lot of room here, we all respect each other’s space,” Jordan said.

Jordan also said he thinks he is more disadvantaged than other freshmen because he still doesn’t know who his permanent roommate is going to be.

“None of us are fully unpacked because we didn’t want to unpack and then have to pack everything back up when we get our permanent room,” he said.

While Jordan had some difficulty adjusting to his new room, for Liz Bunge, senior in applied life studies, returning to the dorms offers her convenience above all else.

“It’s nice not having to worry about going grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning and paying bills,” she said. “And while I’m sure college is a great time to learn to balance those necessities, I just think it’s easier to not have those things to worry about.”

Bunge also said she enjoys meeting new people in the dorms and helping welcome freshmen onto campus in whatever way she can. Living in the dorms is mainly a matter of saving time.

“While apartments can be cheaper living arrangements than the residence halls, I value my time greatly and enjoy not having to cook or go grocery shopping, though I do miss doing these things sometimes.”

Even with 40 percent of University students reassigning to University housing, Ruby said upperclassmen returning to the dorms has not been an issue concerning crowded housing.

“People who want to stay in the dorms are welcome,” she said. “We love to have them.”

While continuing residents are guaranteed space in the University dorms, Ruby said the University doesn’t accept housing contracts once a student has decided to leave the dorms.

“If sophomore year they decide to live somewhere else, we don’t accept their contracts back junior year unless they are someone else’s roommate preference,” Ruby said.

The space crunch will soon be over however. Ruby said she expects permanent housing arrangements to be final in the next few weeks.