Housing Crisis at Northeastern University Leads to Forced Doubles

 By: Bridget Bost

_{^{Forced Double in International Village at Northeastern University}}

Sophomore Anna [last name redacted] stepped into her new dorm room in International Village at Northeastern University accompanied by her father. The second she opened the door, her heart sank. Her new room was crowded and full of furniture and a bunk bed after doubles were made into singles. Her dad said that the room she would be living in for the year was smaller than the one he shared while serving in the army. 

International Village, a building known in the past for housing first-year Northeastern students, has been filled with upperclassmen this year. For the 2021 application year, Northeastern received more than 75,000 applications, a record number of applications for the university. Overenrollment of around 1000 students during the 2021 admission year has caused a housing crisis on the Boston campus. To help fix the housing crisis, Northeastern filled International Village with upperclassmen to make space for the increase in students. Campuses across the country have seen a rise of applicants applying to attend universities. COVID-19 allowed students to decide whether or not they want to submit standardized test scores which opened the door for more applicants. 

Northeastern’s housing crisis led the university to add 700 students into International Village, a building originally housing 1,200 students. The university turned singles into doubles by adding a desk, chair and dresser along with a bunk bed.

Students who reached out to housing after receiving their rooming assignments were met with vague answers or no assistance at all. “Housing had weak excuses for every problem they created and, claimed that the room was meant to be a double from the second it was built, but remained silent when I asked why there was only one closet in the room,” Anna, the second year living in a forced double in International Village said. Bella Testa, a second-year resident in a forced double at Northeastern said, “My roommates and even our parents emailed and called housing. They were unwilling to give us an answer about the room.” 

Those who looked at the housing portal and saw that apartments were all gone turned to housing for answers. Housing advised them to turn to the housing process known as PAWS. This process helps assign students to a space that best matches their interests. “Me and my current roommate, Heidi Eren, decided to go through the PAWS process. I heard great things about it where people got nice apartments, and that was what I was hoping for but we ended up getting stuck in International Village in a forced double,” Jordan Gonzalez-Goss, a second year student living in a forced double said. 

Many students living in a forced double have faced problems that have affected their college experience. These issues include negative effects on mental health and sleep, concerns of physical health and financial issues and also impacts of their social life.

Hailey Koppelman, a second year at Northeastern, lost the chance to live with two friends as a result of living in a forced double. “ My roommate and my suitemate moved out due to the tight space and lack of a kitchen. I was really looking forward to living with them and forming a stronger bond,” Koppelman said. 

Students around the country have also faced difficulties paying to live in their university’s housing. At Northeastern University, a forced double in International Village costs $5,610 per semester. , “I am paying thousands of dollars per year to live in university housing,” Gonzalez-Goss said. “Housing continues to be extremely expensive for college students and has caused fears of not having a place to live.”

^{Data used from https://infogram.com/average-cost-of-a-dorm-1hxr4z90zpd56yo}

Living in forced doubles has made students ill. “When my roommate or I are sick, the others get sick because there is nowhere to go,” Lexi Blanco said. Nicole Rios, a second-year student living in a forced double, said, “I have irritable bowel syndrome, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that causes abdominal pain, so not having a kitchen is extremely difficult. One year on the meal plan was hard enough, so when I found out I would have to eat there another year, I could not stop crying,” Rios said. Dilan Piscatello, a second year in a forced double, also catches illnesses from his roommate and has trouble sleeping. “I didn’t consider that my roommate was going to snore, and that definitely was an adjustment, since he is just right below me, it can get very loud,” Piscatello said.

Along with physical health, residents of International Village have experienced mental health concerns. “It has been horrible for my mental health by adding to all my anxiety and not allowing me to have any space to myself,” Anna said. Heidi Eren, a second-year student living a forced double, has suffered anxiety as a result of living in a forced double. “I am not often in the room because there is simply not enough room, so I do not feel comfortable,” Heidi Eren said. 

After speaking with Northeastern University’s housing administration five times, the office had not comment on any questions about the transformation of single rooms in International Village into forced doubles. This issue continues to affect students, and many are angered by the response of the university. “Northeastern has been very unresponsive when it comes to the concerns of those living in forced doubles and the impact it has had on them,” Eren said. 

Several students commented on the fact there are many empty rooms on their floor. “Northeastern is telling people that we can’t move around because there are no more open rooms on campus, but I know this is wrong. The three rooms next to me are completely empty. I don’t even have any suitemates and they won’t let me move into that room,” Lexi Blanco said. 

Roommates Heidi Eren and Jordan Gonzalez-Goss speak out after being placed in a forced double