By Eva Rachert – News Editor

         Housing options in Lennoxville are plentiful, but the benefits of each can easily be lost in the rush to get a lease. Off-campus, students can choose from a variety of apartments, houses, and studios — often signing leases as early as October of the year prior to moving in. The large variations in pricing and duration of lease are typically the main issues that students face when finding a place to stay. On campus, however, options are more limited. Students can choose between apartment style dorms, a single room, or a shared room, depending on their priorities.

         At Bishop’s, the only apartment-style residence is Paterson Hall, located on the back of the campus, behind Dewies. Each apartment contains four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a communal kitchen and living room area. Paterson Hall is primarily inhabited by upper year students, who live with friends or are randomly assigned roommates. Paterson students, who have access to kitchens, are the only students in residence who are not obligated to pay for a meal plan through Dewies. Living in Paterson gives students more room and more independence than other dormitories, but costs more than other rooms, and requires students to live with roommates.

         Single rooms in the bog-style residence halls are the most popular rooms among first-year students. A bog is a single room that shares a bathroom with one neighbour. The building is a typical residence in other respects, such as a communal kitchen, common rooms, and laundry facilities. Munster, Abbott, and Kuehner Halls, as well as the new residence, are all bog-style, giving students some independence while still providing them an easier social life through their bog mates and frequent RA-hosted events. Students who want to meet more people on campus, who want to be on the meal plan, and who want more modernized dormitories will benefit from bog-style living. However, bog-style residences are more expensive than traditional-style residences, and, in addition to rent, students are also required to pay for the meal plan, making this residence style unaffordable for many students.

         Students looking for a more economical option will benefit from the rooms offered in the traditional-style residence of Mackinnon. Mackinnon is the most affordable residence offered at Bishop’s, with shared bathrooms and rooms that have not been recently renovated, but available in singles or with a roommate. Instead of the double beds and larger rooms available in bog-style residences, traditional residences offer twin beds and small rooms. The variations in price are not great enough to account for the difference in quality between traditional-style and bog- and apartment-style residences.

         Students applying for on-campus housing for the first time would benefit most from bog-style residences than traditional residences, since traditional rooms are poorer quality for price. Upper-year students who want to stay on campus typically apply to Paterson, though many who want to remain in dorm-style residence live in Abbott Hall. Students should try to avoid traditional style in favour of the more attractive residences on campus.