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Show CampusNews Page 2 Thursday, Apr. 4, 2013 The case for living with mom and dad BY QUENTIN FOTTRELL MarketWatch (MCT) To Rep. Paul Ryan, college students forced to move back in with Mom and Dad are the poster children for the bad economy. But from a personal finance perspective, experts say returning home can be a triumph. "College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life, " Ryan said at the Republican National Convention last week. It's a growing trend: There are more adult Americans age 34 or younger sleeping in their childhood bedrooms now than at any other time in the past 30 years, studies show. Nearly one-quarter of those ages 20 to 34 were living at home between 2007 and 2009, up from 17 percent in 1980, according to a study released this month by Zhenchao Qian of Ohio State University. The rate is closer to one-third for 25- to 34-year-olds, says Kim Parker, the lead researcher on another recent survey, "The Boomerang Generation." But just because more young adults are moving in with their parents doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Andi Cooper, 31, a communications specialist from Ridgeland, Miss. who recently moved in with her parents, says people shouldn't feel sorry for her. "I'm extremely happy," she says. And she's not alone. Some 78 percent of those surveyed in the Pew study say they're satisfied with their living arrangements and 77 percent feel upbeat about their future finances. "If there's supposed to be a stigma attached to living with Mom and Dad through one's late 20s or early 30s, today's boomerang generation didn't get that memo," Parker says. It may also be part of a larger cultural shift: People are also getting married later in life and flying the coop later, Qian says. To be sure, many young adults are living with their parents strictly because of ►See FOLKS, Page 3 Minor arrest records keep college students out of job market BY DESIREE STENNETT Orlando Sentinel (MCT) ORLANDO, Fla. — Every year, thousands of college students across the nation leave home for the first time and make decisions with potential to affect their lives for years. Along with choosing career paths, taking classes and asserting their newfound freedom, some also end up with criminal charges on their records. A U.S. Department of Justice report released in June showed that students who have been arrested, even for minor crimes, face extra obstacles in an already shaky job market. A criminal record "will keep many people from obtaining employment, even if they have paid their dues, are qualified for the job and are unlikely to reoffend," according to Amy L. Solomon, a senior adviser to the assistant attorney general in the Office of Justice Programs, and author of the report. Her report pointed out that "the majority of employers indicate that they would `probably' or 'definitely' not be willing to hire an appli- cant with a criminal record." In October, one 20-yearold woman from Broward County, Fla., was visiting the University of Central Florida campus when she was caught holding an open can of beer and charged with misdemeanor underage drinking. Like her, many students have their first run-in with law enforcement over relatively minor crimes. But even minor infractions could have implications later on. "You don't want to have that mark on your record," said University of Central Florida police Chief Richard Beary. With the job market as competitive as it is, even that misdemeanor arrest could have an impact on you depending on what position you're trying to get." Though it is unclear what proportion of the arrests made by university police involve students rather than members of the general public, the FBI's Uniform Crime Report shows that thousands of arrests are made on Florida college campuses each year. People who aren't enrolled in schools are on campus for various sporting and social events, and those arrested who are not students are often charged with theft and other property crimes. Cary Carlisle, a Pensacola, Fla., bail bondsman, has seen plenty of first-timeoffender students come through his doors and said that, although the numbers are low, the experience usually forces those students to grow up fast. "It's usually a pretty eye-opening experience for them," Carlisle said. "After a while the reality hits them, and all of them are usually scared because this is the first time they have had a brush with the law." In addition to the longterm pitfalls, students also face short-term consequences, university spokeswoman Zenaida Kotala said. After an arrest has been reported to the university, the student suspect must go before the Office of Student Conduct, which evaluates each case. The office's student-conduct board — made up of faculty, staff and students — holds hearings for suspected violators and levies sanctions ranging from formal warnings to expulsion. HOUSING: Summer vacation is anything but a few months off ►From page 1 come in. It's really hectic and busy on the main campus, so we migrate all the summer students to the Student Living Center to keep them away from the madness." Milligan said the Housing Office has found most USU summer students who choose to live on campus prefer to be kept away from the high school student groups housed in the Towers and other residence halls. "The main campus — especially central campus where Richards and Bullen and the towers are — gets crazy," she said. Keeping some housing open is a monetary decision, Milligan said. In the summer, there isn't enough demand to keep all campus housing open. But the summer conferencing time of year brings in much revenue to the campus and Housing Office. Space is filled by other types of tenants as well. "We also have summer citizens — senior citizens that come up mainly from Arizona and places where it's really hot," Milligan said. "They kind of replace the student population during the summer." These "summer citizens" are housed in Snow Hall and Merrill Hall, Milligan said. But larger off-campus student housing complexes such as Old Farm also provide housing for this specific crowd of tenants. The number of housing staff members decreases in correspondence to the number of students, Milligan said. Five housing resident assistants are hired during summer, a small comparison to the more than 60 RAs on staff during the regular school year. James Shepard, a current RA and an undeclared freshman, said he plans to take the summer off and enjoy less responsibility. "There are definitely less residents," Shepard said. "The schedule is also different, but the benefits and responsibilities are fairly similar." By taking the summer off, Shepard won't be faced with the challenges that come with this year's summer citizens. "Some of the summer citizens come every year to the extent that they are kind of a high-maintenance group of people," Milligan said. "For example, in Snow Hall there's a group of people that has come for several years. They begin to think it's just their building and they're kind of territorial. But in addition to the RAs that work over there, we hire a special summer citizen RA that works just with them." This special type of RA will help coordinate activities to pull that community together, Milligan said. "They help make the experience positive, answer questions and address conflicts that occur," she said. "It's a lot more challenging to address a conflict there than with college kids." Shepard said he was glad to not be responsible for the summer citizens. "I don't think I'm cut out for taking care of the elderly as alES TWOODS lEdg-ewood Lyntwoo,d1 SIGNS OUTSIDE BRENTWOOD AND THE CRESTWOODS signal the beginning of the summer rush to find housing for both the summer and fall semesters. Many apartment complexes have strict move-in policies that conflict with other student move-out dates. CURTIS RIPPLINGER photo well as I am with handling youngsters," Shepard said. Private property renters and landlords face similar situations during the summer. "I understand many students want to get away from the books for the summer," said Bill Browne, a local individual who rents a few apartments to students. "I try to not put them into too much of an obligation with a contract. Usually I have them sign a semester-to-semester contract. Browne said his system of operation has been beneficial for him. "If they want to stay through the summer, that's great," he said. "But if I have a place open up, it's usually pretty easy to fill with someone who only wants a place to stay for the summer. I've had students come to me and say they didn't EDINBURGH & HIGHLANDER want to be close to the campus during the summer because they weren't taking classes then. Sometimes they go back to on-campus housing when school starts in the fall. Other times they decide they like being a little further away and doing their own thing." It's important to be flexible, both as a student and as a renter, Browne said. "These are college kids," Browne said. "They're trying to wrap their heads around a million things. You have to understand that because most of us have been in that position at one time or another." – pchristiansenmusic@hotmail.corn Twitter: @PChristiansen86 EDINBURGH Best of the Best • Single Student Apartments • Living Room • Private Bedroom and Bathroom • No Parking Hassles • Air Conditioning • High Speed Wireless Internet • Desk, Bed & Bookcase in each Bedroom • Fully Furnished • Laundry in each Apartment • Modern Kitchen Facilities Service in each Bedroom -----'.7 0 NORTH 7 0 0 HIGHLANDER • TV, VCR, DVD • Cable TV with Jacks in each Bedroom Accepting Applications for Summer and Next School Year For more information call Dennis • (435) 770-2326 • (435) 755-8525 • delmax@digis.net 720 NORTH 700 EAST |