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Students press bill to allow off‑campus living; some universities warn of risks
Summary
Students from Wesleyan and other colleges urged the Higher Education Committee to pass SB 14‑11, a bill that would let more students live off campus and challenge restrictive campus housing practices they blamed for high costs and poor conditions.
Students at Wesleyan and other institutions told the Higher Education Committee that restrictive campus residency rules and limited housing supply contributed to unsafe or substandard living conditions and steep costs, and they urged passage of SB 14‑11 to allow broader off‑campus living options.
Multiple students described program houses and converted spaces they were assigned to because the university lacked adequate conventional dormitory beds. Testimony described rodent and squirrel infestations, boarded or broken windows, double doors that did not lock, distant locations that isolated residents from campus life, and safety incidents near some program houses. Witnesses said the university guarantee often amounts to a bed assignment—not necessarily an acceptable living space—and that allowing off‑campus choices would introduce competition and accountability for institutions’ housing quality.
Administrators disagreed. Bethany Zemba, Quinnipiac University vice president for strategy and community relations, told the committee Quinnipiac strongly opposes SB 14‑11. She said residential living is integral to student mental health, academic success and campus safety; she noted Quinnipiac’s process for exceptions based on financial hardship or disability and cited reduced neighborhood complaints after more students returned to campus in prior years.
Representatives from Wesleyan described the educational and co‑curricular rationale for a four‑year residency model, said Wesleyan guarantees housing, and told lawmakers that residential programs and living‑learning communities are central to their pedagogy. University staff also said they provide targeted resident services and that only a small number of students are released from residency requirements for specific reasons.
Students pressed the committee to balance institutional claims against their accounts of crowded and poorly maintained housing, and to consider affordability and choice—particularly where students face long commutes, safety incidents or high housing costs. No committee vote was taken at the hearing; the record contains both student appeals for the bill and institutional warnings about impacts on campus safety and student services.
