With room in the dorms becoming more and more vacant on the campus of Missouri, the university is taking a new approach to try and fill them this fall. Missouri football fans looking to attend a game during the upcoming season will now have the option of renting out a dorm room suite, serving as an alternative to a traditional hotel and as a chance to relive the glory days of living on campus.
The idea has been floating around for some time as Missouri looks to find ways to recoup losses from a decline in enrollment. A website now accepting reservations for a two-room, four-bed suite lists the accommodations at $120 a night. Over the course of a football season, that may not make up all of the potential lost revenue from housing costs at the university, but every little bit helps for a school trying to stay in the black.
In all, Missouri has decided that three of seven residence halls left vacant will be used for the rentals. In addition, these halls will also be utilized to offer conference hosting. Anyone who rents a room will be given access to the university’s dining halls, Wi-Fi and other amenities every student gets. But you might want to bring your own shower shoes.
As of now, it is unknown if alcohol will be allowed in the rented halls. If alcohol was allowed, that would leave the door open for Missouri students to rent out the vacant dorms so they could be allowed to drink on campus. That seems like a minor loophole to plug, though.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reported in May that the enrollment at Missouri had declined by more than seven percent and is on track to be the lowest it has been in nine years. Trends like that has left the school to layoff employees in significant numbers.
