LEXINGTON, KY. — As enrollment at the University of Kentucky (UK) increases, so does the demand for on-campus housing.
This semester, more than 32,700 students are enrolled at UK. UK has nearly 8,000 beds in its dorms.
UK is starting a new program called Tri-It. The housing program is a three-person suite in residence halls. The suites include two bedrooms; one room has a single bed and another room has a bunk bed. This allows rooms that previously housed two students to house three.
Students who participate in Tri-It will receive housing discounts. Students who opt for the single bed in a Tri-It suite will receive $500 off. Students who opt for the bunk bed is eligible for more than $2,000 in savings.
Each student in a Tri-It suite also gets a dresser, desk and chair.
UK spokesperson Jay Blanton said the program’s goal is to create more on-campus housing options because it makes a difference in graduation rates.
“We believe one of the chief ways we do that is by graduating more students who stay in Kentucky live in Kentucky and work in Kentucky and we best do that by graduating them and we are graduating them at a higher rate,” Blanton explained. “We’ve got a 70% percent graduation rate right now.”
Charlize Williams is a freshman at UK this year. Williams currently shares a suite with one roommate, where they two have separate bedrooms. She will participate in Tri-It next year. She said she has concerns.
“With the acceptance rates being so high anyway, if we’re struggling with dorms and we’re also already struggling with transportation to get from one end of the school to the other just to go to classes — like that is a huge problem for us,” she explained.
Williams said she’s seeing some challenges among other students who are participating in Tri-It. She said the person in the single room can sometimes feel excluded from the other two roommates.
“It’s just like a separation thing because it seems like you know two bunkmates are supposed to be like the best of friends, she said.
She said her biggest concern is getting comfortable and well-adapted to her roommates’ likes and dislikes as they will share one space.
“I know it’s probably gonna have a hard time adjusting to the change in stuff like that, but my main worry is getting along with roommates and people that I don’t really particularly know. It’s just really a change thing in general,” Williams said.