EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Almost four out of five off-campus students live in Amherst with an average of 3.5 housemates. About half of the students pool resources to buy food and the average respondent buys three meals a week in restaurants or snack bars. Almost two-thirds have housemates who are all of the same sex. Half of the students feel that it is as expensive to live off-campus as it is to live on-campus. Two-thirds of the students would prefer to live in a house rather than an apartment/condo or an apartment in a house. About a quarter attended the Apartment Complex Fair on the Campus Center Concourse during the fall semester. Over two-thirds of the respondents said they were aware of the Commuter Services _ Off-Campus Housing Office. Almost two-thirds of these students said that this office was "very" or "somewhat helpful" in their search for housing.
On Tuesday, October 24, 1995, Project Pulse conducted a telephone survey for the Commuter Services and Housing Resource Center to assess the needs of students who live off-campus. Interviewers attempted to contact 1614 students who were randomly selected from the entire population of off-campus undergraduates. Interviewers successfully contacted 602 students and 487 (80.9%) of those contacted agreed to be interviewed. The final disposition of the sample is presented in Table 1 and the demographic characteristics of the respondents are displayed in Table 2. Sampling error for the survey is plus or minus 4% at the 95% level of confidence.
|
Table 1: Final Disposition
of the Sample
|
|||
|
|
N
|
% of Total
|
% of Contacted
|
| In & cooperated |
487
|
30.2
|
80.9
|
| Contacted, but refused |
115
|
7.1
|
19.1
|
| Not contacted |
463
|
28.7
|
|
| Unobtainable phone number |
538
|
33.3
|
|
| Ineligible |
11
|
0.7
|
|
| Total |
1,614
|
100.0
|
100.0
|
|
Table 2: Demographics
of the Respondents
|
||
|
|
N
|
%
|
| Female |
220
|
53.3
|
| Male |
193
|
46.7
|
| First-year |
4
|
0.9
|
| Sophomore |
18
|
4.3
|
| Junior |
163
|
38.5
|
| Senior |
238
|
56.3
|
| White |
366
|
85.7
|
| Non-white |
62
|
14.3
|
Students were questioned about their current off-campus living situation including where they live, whether they have housemates, how satisfied they are with various aspects of their living situation, how expensive it is to live off-campus, how safe they feel and whether they have a working smoke detector. Twelve percent (n=59) of those living off campus are living with their parents (these respondents were not asked any further questions). Thirty-seven percent (n=157) have lived off-campus in more than one place since coming to UMass. Almost four out of five off-campus students (79.1%, n=336) live in Amherst. Only five percent (n=22) live by themselves and the most frequent number of housemates is 3. Forty-three percent (n=169) of housemates pool resources to buy food. Fifty-nine percent (n=240) have housemates who are all of the same sex as the respondent.
Respondents were read a list of aspects pertaining to their living situation and asked how satisfied they are with each. In general, off-campus residents are very satisfied with their living situation. One out of five students (20.6%, n=85) feel that it is more expensive to live off-campus than to live on-campus. Half of the students (49.9%, n=206) feel that it is as expensive to live off-campus as it is to live on-campus; see Figure 1. The average respondent buys three meals a week in restaurants or snack bars. Ninety-eight percent of the students (n=419) feel "very" or "somewhat safe" in their current residence, however, ten percent (n=38) report feeling "very" or "somewhat uncomfortable" using the services of the local police. Ninety-five percent (n=405) have a smoke detector in their house or apartment, however, only sixty-six percent (n=260) are "very confident" that it works.
Two-thirds of the students (65.7%, n=278) would prefer to live in a house rather than an apartment/condo or an apartment in a house. Respondents were asked, "Did you or your housemates attend the Apartment Complex Fair on the Campus Center Concourse when you were trying to find housing for this semester?" Twenty-three percent (n=99) said "yes." When asked, over two-thirds of the respondents (68.0%, n=289) said they were aware of the Commuter Services - Off-Campus Housing Office (CSOCHO). Almost two-thirds of these students (62.6%, n=161) said that CSOCHO was "very" or "somewhat helpful" in their search for housing. Students were asked how they found out about CSOCHO; responses are displayed in Figure 2.
Seven percent of the respondents (n=29) said "yes" to the question, "Since you have been a student at UMass, do you feel that you have ever been refused housing unfairly _ that is, on the basis of your sex, race, religion sexual orientation, ethnicity, or student status?" Students were also asked how they would prefer to learn about the rights and responsibilities of tenants; responses are presented in Figure 3.
Sixty percent of the respondents (n=256) said they would notify their neighbors if they were to have a party with music. Of those who live in Amherst, over two-thirds (68.1%, n=228) said they were unaware of the noise bylaw prohibiting noise between the hours of 10pm and 8am, while only one-fifth (19.7%, n=66) said they were unaware of the keg bylaw requiring that all kegs be licensed by the police department. Almost half (46.2%, n=195) said they would attend campus events more frequently if they lived on campus.
Respondents were asked how they get to campus during the academic year; responses are displayed in Figure 4. Fifty-five percent of the students (n=140) said they would be "very" or "somewhat likely" to use bike racks on campus buses if they were made available.