The Fall semester brought more students living on campus than years past. Due to this influx of the on-campus population, certain housing sacrifices had to be made.

All lounges in North and Martin Halls have been eliminated this year and turned into bedrooms.

“Four lounges in Martin and North were converted to bedrooms so that these students could continue to live on campus,” Alerie Tirsch, Director of Office of Residential Life and Housing, said. “The rooms will be converted back to lounges in the future if space permits.”

Dorm lounges have served as a popular place for students to conjugate and hangout or study. The centrally-placed TVs allowed students to come together to watch sports games, shows, or movies in a comfortable area.

“The lounges are how I met some of my friends and not having them makes it harder for us to mingle,” sophomore Alexis Stewart said.

Alternatives to these lounges are still available to students who live in these dorms. What students are really deprived of now is the luxury of having these spaces on every floor of their buildings. However, Tirsch said students still have areas to loosen up and socialize.

“Both buildings have large basements that can be used as hangout spaces, as well as large main floor open lounges that students often use as gathering spaces,” Tirsch said. “There are also many new student lounge and study areas that have been added in recent years in the Kessel Student Center.”

The other dormitories on campus were also affected by the increase of on-campus living. Alumni Hall, which has been traditionally exclusive to freshmen, now houses upperclassmen also. Many of the rooms that were built for and intended to house two students, currently have three students living in them. In Elm Hall, the option to live in a single room has been removed. Each room has at least two people living in it.

Depending on the number of campus residents Pace University has in the future, these living situations may remain for upcoming years.