The Princeton Review’s 2009 rankings of the best 368 colleges and universities in North America brought good and bad news for the University of Idaho.
UI made the overall list and was named one of the top 120 institutions in the west. These ratings, the review said, are based on the university’s “outstanding academics and opportunities provided for students.”

Despite these praises, the review — and the students who provide it with ratings — ranked UI 11th for schools with “Dorms Like Dungeons.”
It could have been worse. UI could have been among those in the “Least Happy Students” or “Is It Food?” categories, but with 1,750 UI students living on campus this year, improvements need to be made.

Bruce Pitman, vice provost of student affairs, said nearly 85 percent of freshmen live on campus. Students who begin their college careers in university housing have, according to Pitman, “better access to friendship groups, clubs … and are exposed to upperclassmen role models.”

Ray Gasser, director of university residences, said students who start out living on campus have “higher GPAs and graduation rates.”
Despite the social and academic benefits of living on campus, doing so tends to be more expensive than many off-campus options. Incoming students weighing their housing options may take aesthetics and quality of infrastructure into consideration, and when combined with the higher price, they may decide to take their business elsewhere.

UI is planning to replace carpet, furniture and paint in the Wallace and Theophilus Tower complexes, but those improvements won’t change the size of rooms or the age of buildings. Student complaints about elevators that occasionally get stuck aren’t so simple to fix.

Perhaps it is time for the university to begin looking ahead and planning for modern replacements for its aging housing facilities. It doesn’t hurt to look at options — maybe freshmen of the future would be willing to pay increased fees for newer rooms if they still had the convenience of living close to classes and friends.

In any case, living in “Dorms Like Dungeons” should be unacceptable for students in one of the top-ranked universities in the nation.

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