OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi has increased in students from 18, 224 in 2011 to 18, 793 in 2012, this according to the Institutions of Higher Learning.

            This poses a variety of problems not just for Ole Miss, who is struggling with a campus parking crisis and a demand for more faculty, but also for the city of Oxford. With more incoming students, on-campus housing is at a premium. In years past, sophomore students in sororities traditionally resided in the Crosby dormitory. Now those students and many others are being pushed off campus.

            Off-campus housing is now filling up quicker than ever, said Mary Beth Malloy, an employee at The Connection apartment complex.

            “We are running out of rooms to rent, a lot faster than we used to,” Malloy said. “Leases that were typically signed in July are now being signed in May.”

            Ross Barksdale, a senior at Ole Miss, had a lot of trouble finding a place to live for the 2012-2013 school year in July.

            “I looked everywhere, even asking friends for help,” Barksdale said. “After a few weeks, I finally found a one bedroom apartment in The Park.”

            Finding a place to live is not the only problem for students, rent is getting higher too. In the last year, rent at The Connection has raised, depending on when the lease is signed, Malloy said. When I asked her how much rent has gone up, she did not know the figures, but knew of an increase.

            There are new developments that opened this fall, making room for the growing population. Molly Barr Trails and Taylor Bend are two apartment complexes that were constructed last year that opened this fall.

Not only are new complexes being built, established communities are expanding. Grove Hill, a community of houses off of Molly Barr Road, recently changed ownership over the summer. A $38 million expansion is underway to add more houses to the end of the neighborhood.

While there are problems that come with the increased number of students, it is not all bad, Malloy said.

“More people means more demand for housing, which is always good for business.”                         

Michael Quirk