UNA’s Residence Life Office increased the rates of housing for this coming year.

Prices for the standard double occupancy in Rivers and Rice halls have increased to $3,005 per year at Rivers Hall and $2,780 per year at Rice Hall.

Double-as-single occupancy at Rivers Hall is now $4,843 per year and $4,478 at Rice Hall per academic year.

Inside single room housing that is only available in Rice and Rivers halls is $3,924 per year at Rivers and $3,630 per year at Rice Hall.

Triple-as-double occupancy is now $3,456 per year at Rivers Hall and $3,196 at Rice Hall.

At Lafayette and LaGrange Halls, the double occupancy is $2,889 per academic year.

Double-as-single occupancy is now $4,682 per academic year at Lafayette and LaGrange Halls.

Residence Life is encouraging students to live on campus for many reasons.

“I think when you start taking everything into account — the Internet, utilities, the staff members that work on campus, the food services — it is actually cheaper to live on campus,” said Kevin Jacques, director of Residence Life.

Safety is also an added bonus for living on campus, he said.

“We have staff members on every floor of our residence halls that go through extensive training, actually a one-hour credit class that they have to take prior to being hired,” he said. “We believe greatly in safety on campus.”

Some students who live on campus find it easier to be involved on campus.

“I would strongly encourage all students to live on campus, especially as a freshman,” said Kaitlin Chappell, UNA student. “It allows you to get plugged in more easily, and you are aware of what is going on campus at all times.”

Yet another reason to get involved on campus is the potential for networking.

“We also have the community that we build here,” Jacques said. “You get to meet a whole lot of different people, you get to form many great relationships and, most importantly, you get to be involved with events on campus.”

Students who live on campus are also not affected by the parking problems on campus.

“You do not have to worry about being late for class because you can just walk to your classroom,” Chappell said.

“This is opposed to living off campus where you still have to worry about finding a parking spot.”

With pros to living on campus, there are also cons to living on campus.

Some students enjoy the freedom that comes with living off campus and the amount of room that apartments have.

“You do not have as much room as you would in an apartment and you may have to have a roommate, but these things are minor and easy to adapt to,” Chappell said.

Some students dislike the precedents set, such as directives.

“There are too many rules and some people are just nasty,” said Keanu Kirkpatrick.

However, the foremost reason to live off-campus may be the solitude.

“My favorite thing about living off campus is not having a roommate,” said Zach Page, UNA Student.