Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Jesse DeFlorio This new apartment complex on 5200 block of York Road is looking to market apartments to college students.

"We had the crazy idea of moving off campus last year," said Andew Chudy, '08, as he sat on a l-shaped couch in his living room. "It was the best decision we could have made."

With two stories, polished wooden floors, a basement, digital cable, and fully equipped kitchen, the boys of 6408 Clearspring Rd don not live like normal college students. Andrew Chudy, Matthew Falkowski, Brian O'Neil, and Matthew Spaluzzi, all seniors, are a part of a sizeable population of Loyola students -- mostly upperclassman -- who live off campus by choice. Often this population of student lives in an ambiguous space between dorm life and real life.

These students have cable and energy bills, landlords, rent, and real neighbors to deal with, however, they are still technically bound by the Loyola student code of conduct. Sometimes students succeed and while others run into trouble. I spoke with a few to find out their stories.

I sat down with the students of 6408 Clearspring to get an idea of their lives away from the evergreen campus. An uncommon success story of off campus living, these students enjoy a large house -- kept meticulously clean -- with all the accoutrements necessary to call it a home: plasma screen, ikea furniture, real wood coffee table, and a corner book case filled with old records.

"It's preparing us, ahead of the pack, for the real world," said Chudy. "We're managing finances, we're doing little home improvement stuff, paying bills…paying bills late. We're learning about that, too."

According to Falkowski, at least two of the roommates work nearly 30 hours a week, along with standard 15 credits, to keep up with bills.

Along with other students who live off campus, they report there have been some run-ins with quieter, more stayed neighbors. One night, a next-door neighbor arrived at Chudy's front door in yellow crocs and a pink bathrobe demanding they quiet down after a gathering grew too loud. The next day the students exchanged cell phone numbers with their neighbors in case of another incident.

"Our landlord said like twenty times to give exchange numbers with the neighbors. We never did," said Chudy.

"A lot of it is about communication," said Spaluzzi. Their last encounter was a bit more amiable. The students gave the neighbors a gift basket for Christmas, after having received baked goods from them.


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Sean Allocca, '08, has lived off campus for three years. A transfer student from Montclair University in his sophomore year, Student Life placed Allocca on the housing waiting list, as is done with most transfer students. Unfortunately, Allocca was unable to receive housing on campus, so he moved into Hopkins House, a high-rise apartment building on W. 39th St and University Ave.

"When I first got here it was awesome," said Allocca. "A new city, a new start, it was my first apartment. At first it was great living alone, you didn't have to deal with anyone. But after a while it got pretty old."

Allocca admitted living off campus made his college experience different from other students. He was never on campus and at times he felt disconnect from other students because of it. But he would not change it. Allocca even recommends living off campus, and purchasing a dog if you are able to keep one. Allocca owned a Puggle for a year, despite a no pets allowed rule in Hopkins House.

"For 6 months before I went abroad I would hide [the dog] in my backpack," Allocca said.

Building supervisors eventually discovered the puggle after it became too large to fit in Alloca's backpack. He was forced to give it to his mother for safekeeping, lest he face eviction.

Despite the obvious attraction to living off campus, Loyola College remains ranked amongst the best in the country for quality of housing. Officials in Student Life say living on campus provides better options for students.

"We think living on campus is a real benefit for students, and one that really adds to their college experience," said director of student life, Carrie McLaughlin.

In fact, with the addition of new dorm buildings and more in the works, Loyola will be better able to offer more options to students who want to live on campus. Recently, Loyola purchased the Gallagher neighborhood that resides across from the College's York Rd. parking lot. According to McLaughlin, Loyola has renovated the townhouses and it will be open as soon as next fall under the new name, Rahner Village.

The Rahner Village units will be two stories with 4 people to each unit. McLaughlin says they will have 2 or 3 rooms, depending.

"There are going to be some students who want to live off campus, be independent, and live with their friends in a residential community, and that makes sense for some students. But with the options we have on campus I think we strike a good balance," said McLaughlin.

Editor's Note: An inevitable issue with off campus living is security. Another article will cover off campus living security in a coming issue.

**CORRECTION: The Greyhound incorrectly printed the new dorm facilities as "Radnor" Village. The correct spelling of the new facilities is Rahner Village. The Greyhound regrets the error.

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