For the third consecutive year, Villanova has leased Rosemont’s Kaul Hall to provide nearby housing for transfer students, seniors, commuters and those with roommate conflicts.

Most students residing in Kaul Hall are students who are ineligible for on-campus housing but have been placed there at personal requests for housing. Like seniors, transfer students are given the option to either find housing off-campus or live in Kaul Hall.

This semester, about 70 Villanova students are residing in Kaul Hall. The University has leased the two top floors, with the second floor designated for males and the third for females.

There are three RAs on these floors, as well. The first floor of the building is occupied by Rosemont students.

Villanova University policy states that only four-year matriculated students are guaranteed on-campus housing for their freshman, sophomore and junior years.

For commuters who wish to experience residence life, Kaul Hall provides housing that is close to campus. For senior and transfer students who wish to have on-campus housing but are ineligible to do so, Kaul Hall offers an alternative to living off-campus.

For students who are on-campus but request housing elsewhere due to roommate issues, Kaul Hall provides temporary housing if there are no current spots available for them on campus.

Like other residence halls on Villanova’s campus, Kaul Hall does not have air-conditioning. All residents, regardless of class year, are required to have either a Villanova or Rosemont meal plan.

Contrary to popular belief, students residing at Rosemont at any time are not given a better housing lottery number for subsequent years based on their assignment to Kaul Hall.

However, there are a few perks to living at Rosemont.

“The rooms are huge and the campus is beautiful,” said Haris Chaudhry, a junior accounting major who lived at Rosemont as a transfer student last year and is currently an RA in Kaul Hall. “Most students don’t realize that it’s only a 10-minute walk from Rosemont to Main.”

One major advantage to living on Rosemont is that all residents are given parking permits, so even freshman and sophomore residents can have their cars.

Also, every room has Comcast cable Television access, so students do not need to purchase cable.

If a resident requests and accepts a transfer to an on-campus room at some point, they lose installation costs for their cable and must pay housing charges adjusted to their new room.

Freshmen and sophomore students moving from Kaul Hall to an on-campus residence hall lose their car privileges, and students with junior or senior standing are required to buy a resident parking permit to park in one of the lots.

“Ideally, we want to accommodate everyone in on-campus housing,” said Tom DiMarco, the director of Residence Life. “For now, Rosemont is an alternative to moving off campus that helps reduce the uncertainty of wait-listing. If a spot opens up on campus, then residents are moved off at their own request.”

Even though an underclassman may not be thrilled about the idea of living at Rosemont, Kaul Hall does offer a tight-knit community.

“For transfers, this is a great opportunity because they live with people in the same boat,” Chaudhry said. “Most of the students are not happy with being at Kaul Hall right now, but after awhile, in my experience, people really start to love this place.”