Purdue Temporary Dorm Rooms Look Like 'Prison,' 'Boot Camp'

Photos of temporary dorm space at Purdue University have caused a stir online, with some likening the set up to “prison,” and military “boot camps.”

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Faced with an excess of admitted students, Purdue University Residences continues to place some students in makeshift rooms in the basements and study lounges of residence halls around campus, like these in Shreve and Meredith residence halls.

A post shared by Purdue Exponent (@purdueexponent) on Aug 13, 2018 at 11:06am PDT

A local news reporter interviewed some of the students who moved into the temporary dorms this week.

Purdue University has stuck a group of freshman in a large office space complete with standard dorm furniture. Parents and students have complained that the temporary spaces lack windows. Additionally, students are unable to close and lock their doors to protect their belongings.

The university claims that the temporary space was constructed after the university realized that they had promised campus hosing to too many incoming freshmen. Some accused the university of prioritizing money over the quality-of-life that they should be providing for their students.

Users on social media exploded after photos of the temporary dorms were posted online. One tweet, with almost 4,000 likes, said that the open nature of the space makes the temporary dorms look like a “jail.”

The university’s website claims that the temporary space is the cheapest on-campus housing available. Additionally, they make the case that the temporary spaces are not that much different than their standard dorms. Of course, they fail to mention that students won’t be able to protect their belongings or enjoy some much-needed privacy during study time.

University Residences has converted study rooms/lounges and former laundry areas to provide larger capacity. These spaces have been equipped with furnishings similar to those in regular residential rooms; each resident will have a bed, a desk or table for studying, and a storage space. In addition, network access will be provided. Any items that were in the room previously have been moved out, and student furniture has been placed in the rooms. Most important, the residential life activities and support will be available to students in these spaces, just as they are to students in regular spaces.

It is not yet known how long the temporary dorm rooms will be in use.

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