Over the last few years with the increase of class sizes, Saint
Anselm has faced the issue of a lack of housing for students across
each grade, and a dire need for more space. This has caused an
uproar among students and faculty with poor housing standards
and the loss of offices and classrooms.

Over the last few years, the college has tried to adapt to the surge
in students by changing common rooms to dorm rooms and making
apartments of five people rather than four. Some students were
even faced with the issue during housing selection of not even
living while the rising junior class is even larger than the senior class.
being able to obtain a room. “My biggest concern is mainly the fact
that there simply is not enough room for everyone,” said Olivia
Habig ’26. “ Saint A’s really just needs to increase housing and so
many people would be happy,” Habig added.

With the start of the housing lottery process and the distribu
tion of lottery numbers, students are concerned about the ability
to obtain their preferred housing choice. “I’m more stressed rather
than frustrated,” said Habig. The upcoming senior class is one of
the largest class sizes Saint Anselm has seen. It has been predicted
that only 30% of rising juniors will be able to get an apartment-style
“I happen to be more concerned with the lottery because my future
roommates and I did not exactly luck out with lottery numbers,”
said Lauren Dillon ’27. “ We do not have as much hope for the
apartment we all wanted,” Dillon added. The housing process aver
ages housing lottery numbers with the chosen group, so it really is
luck of the draw. Even with the apartments in
Lowers being turned into five person apartments and the addition of Joseph

Hall being changed into dorms, more concern arises.
The addition of Joseph Hall as housing allows for more space
for students as housing is needed, yet it displaces many professors’
offices as well as the Bloomberg Lab. “Joseph being turned into
dorms is very creative.

But if you think about it, this is decreasing classroom space and making
professors move to a new office,” Habig said.
Lowers now being five person apartments may give many rising
seniors and juniors a chance of apartment-style living but, yet
again students are worried about the conditions of living. Anna
Carey ’26 shared her concerns saying, “ there still isn’t enough
space for that many people and not everyone will get a desk,
dresser, or even closet space. I also think the way you live and your
own personal space on campus can have an impact on your academics.”
Amidst the stress and frustrations with housing, students have
taken to Yik Yak to express their concerns, frustrations, anxieties
and even stating they may transfer but, students have started to
poke fun at the situation. One post shared a joke, claiming to be
a message from Res Life stating the monastery will be integrated
now with students. Another post read that incoming students will
be advised to bring tents with them to campus as a form of housing.

There was also a post saying the shed leading up to Uppers
will become a five person apartment, and another claiming that
the shack at the rugby field will be
converted into housing Though the anonymous YikYak
posts poke fun at the situation, it
remains to be a pressing issue that
is continually being addressed.
The jokes may be funny, but the
situation feels much more serious
to students.
Students hope that this crisis
will eventually be solved, but there
is nothing the student body can do
about it. There have been students
expressing their desires to add
more housing on campus or to
admit less students. Habig shared
her perspective on the admittance
of students saying, “ the school
needs to admit more students to be
able to keep up with other schools
and simply just to keep running.”
Effects of the demographic cliff are
clear with the over-admittance of
students.
Dillon shared, “I think that
the school needs to build more
housing because of the number of
students they have already admit
ted and who already attend St.
A’s. I would definitely say it was
poorly planned, and the limited
apartment-style living for upper
classmen does not make students
happy.” An upperclassmen right
of passage is being able to live in
the apartment-style residencies,
so dorm living is not ideal for the
junior and senior classes.
With the housing crisis and the
stress and frustrations of the hous
ing lottery, students are aware that
the school is trying their best to fix
the problem, yet the problem has
only been made worse.
Though more housing is necessary to accommodate the number
of students currently attending Saint Anselm, and the prospective
students, concern about the living conditions for students should
also be addressed and considered. Jokes aside, the housing crisis
has made its way onto Saint Anselm’s campus, and students
are not happy about they way it has been handled.