The Master Plan’s further construction on the Pleasantville campus has influence on some students’ dorming decisions during this campus transition.

Draws of the Briarcliff campus include its distance from classrooms and construction. Many students claim that it has a “homey” feeling; a place for students to relax away from the classrooms. There is also the Perk Café, a convenient way to enjoy a midnight snack exclusive to the Briarcliff campus.

With that being said, the thought of being a bus ride away from classrooms and events is also considered a downfall of the soon-to-be-lost Briarcliff campus.

“In Pleasantville, everything’s closer,” sophomore childhood education major Christine Latorres said. “But I live in Briarcliff, due to construction reasons. I don’t want to live around the construction.”

Lattores, who has lived on both campuses, is probably not the only student with this view. She enjoyed being close to classrooms and events on Pleasantville, but appreciates the perks of Briarcliff.

“Housing is a lot better on Briarcliff,” sophomore applied psychology major Melissa Adolphe said. “Next year is the last year for the Briarcliff campus.”

Aldolphe makes the point that Briarcliff will close soon. Besides that fact that construction won’t be a nuisance on Briarcliff, some may want to take advantage of Briarcliff for the simple fact that the time to do so is limited. Pace University is unique because of its separate campus for residents, and some may want to experience the unique campus before it is no longer run by Pace. The time to live in the allegedly haunted Dow Hall or to chill on the couches in the common rooms of New Dorm suites is now.

Escaping construction sounds, loss of some parking in Pleasantville, and the chance to experience something different before the campus changes dramatically thus makes Briarcliff a more viable living option for some students than in previous years.

Some students, including Adolphe, also argue that rooms in Briarcliff are more comfortable and nicer to live in. Opinions often differ on dorm room comfort. As a resident of Dow, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere with a communal restroom. I also wouldn’t want to live anywhere without access to the Perk, which is going to eventually make the move to Pleasantville but, for now, will remain in Briarcliff.

Being able to hang out in a common room and shower in a full shower are small luxuries that I do not take for granted and that I appreciate very much. These luxuries can also be found at the townhouses, but, again, some students seek to avoid construction, leaving Dow or New Dorm as the best housing options for them. There is also the ordeal of finding enough people to live in a townhouse, which could be a struggle.

Despite the construction and great loss of parking, Pleasantville dorming still has plenty of advantages.

If friends stay over on a weeknight they can park overnight on the Pleasantville campus, something that cannot happen on Briarcliff because of the need for specific Briarcliff parking permits. Waking up late for class isn’t as much of a problem on Pleasantville as it is in Briarcliff, and living on Pleasantville makes going to late night events or club meetings more convenient.

Aldophe and Latorres are residents of Dow, a building with three floors of residence space, two of which consist of suites connected by bathrooms. The second floor of Dow boasts wood floors and fairly large windows. People in Dow are generally happy living there, taking advantage of proximity to the cafeteria, the Perk, and the bus stop, which is very close to the front of the hall. Although Dow Hall is a bus ride away from classrooms and Pleasantville events, Dow residents probably do less walking than the average Pleasantville student, due simply to bus proximity.

Classes are a short walk away if you live on the Pleasantville campus; students can roll out of bed ten minutes before class starts and still be on time. This simply isn’t possible living on Briarcliff.

If a Briarcliff student misses their bus, it is probable that they will also miss their class.

Basically, anywhere Pace residents live will have benefits and downfalls. It is up to the students and residents to make the most of a campus in transition