Sixteen Fontbonne College graduate students are calling Washington University buildings home this year because of a housing shortage on the Fontbonne campus.
The graduate students from Fontbonne, located across the street from WU on Wydown Boulevard, are living in WU-owned buildings north of Delmar. These 16 students, mostly from Taiwan, are participating in Fontbonne’s Master’s of Business Administration program this year.
Fontbonne saw an increase in the number of students living on campus this year and had to search for other places in the area for students to live.
“We realized around June that there would be a housing shortage this year,” said Peggy Musen, director of admissions at Fontbonne. “Our goal was to keep the freshmen on campus, so some graduate students are living off-campus this year.”
Fontbonne also rented apartments in the Loop to accommodate the students.
WU and Fontbonne have had a longstanding relationship regarding housing: WU students lived on the Fontbonne campus years ago when the South Forty was too crowded. Fontbonne turned to WU this year because the apartment units they showed interest in were only available for a short-term lease period.
The two parties signed a one-year lease for six apartment units. According to George Burris, director of off-campus housing, WU did not offer Fontbonne reduced rates for the four three-bed and two two-bed units.
Roughly 2000 students attend Fontbonne, a four-year, private liberal arts Catholic college. Recently, its residence halls have been renovated to provide more
housing space. Administrators are searching for housing options to accommodate more students in the upcoming years.
Contact Erin Harkless at
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