To satisfy the high number of incoming students for the 2018-19 school year, the housing constraints at Waynesburg University are shifting to increase the number of suite-style triple and quad rooms.

Specifically, according to Director of Housing Matt Pioch, the new restraints will mainly be impacting female students, as there will only be a projected 34 female suite-style doubles available in upperclassmen dorms, compared to the 72 doubles occupied this year.

Pioch said the reasons these changes were made for two reasons: to eliminate space and to provide a less expensive form of housing.

“We do listen to the students, and we are trying to make the best of the situation we have,” Pioch said.

In response to this change, six junior Nursing students, including Alyssa O’Day, Shaley Schreckengost, Kaitlin Potutschnig, Jessica Matrogran, Natalie Fortna and Brittany Kennedy, came together to create and promote a petition for the university to revise the housing rules.

The petition itself was created by Matrogran the morning of Tuesday, March 20, and by the evening, the petition garnered more than 400 signatures, equating to nearly 30 percent of the student population.

Matrogran said her main inspiration for creating the petition was her own frustration with the housing options on campus.

They say college is a time where you should grow,” Matrogran said. “How are we supposed to grow as adults if we can’t choose where we want to live or who we want to live with?”

The same day the petition was created, Pioch sent an email to all students stating a new update in the housing selection schedule. In the email, it was announced that triple applications were being put on pause to allow for double applications begin.

“Our goal is to provide you with more information prior to determining whether or not you would like to reside in a triple for next year,” Pioch said in the email.

The application will be posted today, March 22, and will remain open until March 27 to allow students to apply for suite-style doubles.

Moving forward, Matrogran and the other students hope to get at least half of the student body to sign the petition. Once they are done accepting signatures, they plan to take the petition to university administration with the hope to create change.

“At the end of the day, we’re paying to go here, and we’re paying for housing we don’t want,” Schreckengost said. “We deserve to have options.”

Pioch said he is already aware of the petition, but he warns students the solution is not as easy as it seems.

“I know some students ask why we don’t just open up off-campus housing, but on the flip side of that, what studies have shown is that students that live in on-campus environments typically have higher GPAs and do better mental health wise and overall wellness,” Pioch said. “What we have tried to do at Waynesburg University is promote a residence life that takes into mind those things and takes into mind the health, safety and wellness of those students and puts those things first.”