A housing survey was sent out to students on Nov. 8 to get opinions on community members’ housing experience and preference, according to an email sent by Raymon Lu Ming Ou, Vice President of Student Affairs and Lois Stanley, Vice President for Campus Planning and Operations. Students were asked a series of questions regarding housing layouts, features and locations, according to the survey.
“We want to hear from you,” reads the email, “We would like to learn about your housing experiences and preferences while a student at Brandeis University.”
Students were asked to rank their preferences for living arrangements based on three different floor plans, according to the survey. In the survey, one floor plan featured an open-concept one bedroom apartment. The room features one bed, a living space, a desk, a water closet and a bathroom with a tub. The next floor plan is an apartment styled with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The floorplan has identical sides with a bedroom and bathroom on each side and in the center is a kitchen and living area including a mobile island and media unit. The final floor plan is four bedrooms and two bathrooms. This style of apartment is composed of four single rooms with a bathroom on each side. It also features a common area with couches, a dining table and a kitchen.
The price ranges for each living set up varied. For the single-bedroom apartment, it would be between $6,745 to $6,875 per semester per person. Comparable housing available to students currently is Charles River Efficiency Apartments which cost $6,375 per semester per person, according to the university’s 2020-2021 housing rates page. The two-bedroom apartment featured in the survey is estimated to cost $6,400- $6,500 per semester. Comparable housing available to students currently is Charles River Two bedroom apartments which cost $6 thousand per semester per person, according to the housing rates. The four-bedroom apartment-style is estimated to cost $6,150 to $6,250 per semester per person. The most comparable housing to this floorplan currently available to students is in Ridgewood Quad which costs $6,435 per student per semester, according to the housing rates.
The survey also asks community members to pick their top five amenities that would be most important to them in new housing. From the survey, students could choose the following physical features: private bedroom, private bathroom, in-unit kitchen, living room, storage closet, fully furnished unit, access to printing, full-sized beds, fitness room, indoor recreation, in-unit dishwasher, outdoor recreation, in-unit washer and dryer, secured access, social lounge, group study space, main delivery, convenience store and more.
Community members were also asked to rank their preference on the location of new housing. The options included on campus—near academic buildings similar to Skyline’s location, on the edge of campus—along Loop Road similar to Ridgewood, away from the edge of campus off of Loop Road similar to Foster Mods or off-campus but within walking distance similar to Charles River Apartments.
Additional space was left for survey takers to leave additional comments on what they would like to see in housing on campus and any suggestions or recommendations would be accepted.
Community members were asked to select the ranges which they pay for utilities and housing (per month). The survey also asked for preference between suite-style and corridor-style housing.
The survey asked for additional information from the participant to gauge for interest in living in new on-campus housing. It also asked for the respondent to describe their current living situation, including where they were living, how many people they were living with, whether they share a bathroom and whether the unit was furnished.
The survey opened on Nov. 8 and will close on Nov. 19 at 11:59 p.m., according to the email.
