Hotel lodgers expect housing relocations

The 130 students at the Chattanoogan and Sheraton Read House will return to traditional campus life by January 2010."We actually started out with 210 students that checked into the hotels," Steven Hood, director of housing, said.

Hood said the students living in the nearby hotels should have confirmed dorms on campus by December. While the goal is almost assured for the short-term, he said, it is a situation that needs to be dealt with in the future as well.

"We're not able to accommodate everyone with the most desirable situation, but we are making the best of it," Hood said.

Chris Onan, a sophomore from Chicago, said he has found his semester in the Chattanoogan to be time-consuming and tedious.

"The shuttle service from the hotels to UTC often can't handle the number of students who use it," Onan said. "The distance from campus has affected my mornings and study time, as well. Everyone's really fed up with how things are going."

Hood said this is a good thing, in some respects.

"From a purely financial standpoint, the more students you have living on campus, the easier it is to reinvest money back into the properties," Hood said. Hood explained the school's plans for the future are dependent on similar over enrollments predictions.

Although, those accommodations might not be in place until 2011 at best, he said.

Some dorms will be doubled up, opening up to 120 extra beds on campus. Some partnerships with off-campus housing are being considered, as well. UTC is also considering renovations in current unused dorms, Hood said.

Onan, however, said he is already making plans to live elsewhere off-campus. Other students in his situation are doing the same, he said.

"They're upset with how UTC is dealing with it," Onan said. "It's the school's fault, and they need to change it."

For more information contact Steven Hood at 425-4304.