Raising a family while in college can be a struggle. This is why Florida A&M provides student-family housing to accomodate those pursuing this lifestyle. This living arrangement is primarily for students with children and includes married couples.
This alternative housing situation makes it affordable and convenient for students to commute back and forth.
Students who are married and students with children are among the traditional residents of Palmetto North living alongside those students without families.
Family-student apartments consist of two bedrooms, a living room, and kitchen facility.
There are currently nine families occupying this housing complex.
Kenneth Dukes who has been the residential assistant for a semester thinks this living arrangement is a great idea.
“It is convenient for the students with families, because it saves them money for rent,” says Dukes, a political science major from Lake City Fla.
Residential living offers an excellent opportunity to experience a “living and learning” environment. Living on campus provides students the opportunity to get fully involved in their academic process.
Students who start families while in school, are allowed the same educational and living opportunities as other students. On campus housing is provided to all students regardless of race, creed, color, and economic status.
“I think the families living on campus is convenient, because students get a chance to finish school and even put their children in the on- campus daycare provided here at FAMU, said Kierra Lang, 21, R.A from West Palm Beach. “Students often receive scholarships to assist with their living on campus. At times it can be distracting.
Students with younger children should be allowed to live in Polkenhorn, but they are being renovated now,” said Lang.
Residential Assistant Michael Woodward, 19, Business Administration major agrees with his fellow R.A’s.
“They are students paying tuition, so I absolutely agree with families living on campus, said Woodward.
Students who live in Palmetto North with families also have different financial responsibilities than your traditional student.
“The differences between the two are that families tend to pay less, and families get the entire apartment to themselves rather than sharing with roommates. They also get inspected biweekly rather than weekly like the other residents,” said RD Marcus Williams.
The rooms are about the same size as the other dorms located in Palmetto.