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Trenton Ave houses Oiler sonography and nuclear medicine students
By Sarah Stubbs
@sarahxstubbs
Housing is a breeze for traditional, four-year students at most universities. At the University of Findlay, there are dorms, townhouses, and other apartment-like options.
Things get a little more complicated the older one gets. Juniors and seniors may decide to live off campus, signing year-long leases and setting up their own utilities. Even though those students might not want to live in Findlay for the entire year, they often pay to do so.
It’s hard to find a landlord that offers leases for a time span shorter than one year and for students in special programs, like the diagnostic programs at UF, that is a struggle they know all too well.
Since the certification program for sonography at UF involves 16 weeks in the classroom and lab followed by 35 weeks of clinicals, and the nuclear medicine institute at UF follows a similar structure, students might have once had difficulty finding affordable living options.
According to Rachel Walter, director of housing at UF, the housing department took over the maintenance and care of a stretch of houses on Trenton Avenue on the south side of the street.
The University had already owned the houses and were originally managed by the physical plant, but, Walter said that they were of better use in the housing department’s hands.
“The houses on Trenton aren’t ideal for most students, but they are ideal for those students because that building is right there. We are able to keep all of the sonography and nuclear medicine students on that street together,” Walter said.
Two sonography students, Mindy Beck and Michelle Beatty, live together in one of the Trenton Avenue houses.
Beck is from New Albany, Indiana and is already a homeowner there. The last thing Beck wanted to do was worry about renting and furnishing a place to live for just 16 weeks.
“Living on campus allows me to focus entirely on the program. I don’t have to worry about the upkeep of a house that I’m renting,” Beck said.
Living with others in the same program is also helpful, according the Beatty.
“Mindy is right across the hall from me and we are depending on each other and helping each other get through this program,” Beatty said.
Beatty was already one year into a sonography program at St. Catherine in Kentucky when it closed down unexpectedly just last month. Beck was enrolled to begin the same program at St. Catherine this August.
However, when the doors closed at St. Catherine, they opened at UF.
“Findlay Sonography program reached out to students at St. Catherine and they mentioned that they had housing. It’s a room and board fee and it’s significantly less than others,” Beck said. “I looked at other options, but most other places want you to sign for a year.”
UF’s housing department doesn’t charge a monthly rate like most landlords do, it’s simply included with their other program fees for convenience.
“Their bills will go to their student accounts and they won’t have to pay a monthly rate. And we’re able to have cable, internet, washer, dryer, and everything set up,” Walter said.
Beatty also agreed that UF offered the best price for housing.
“It’s affordable and it’s close to campus and all of our classes so that’s convenient. It’s been a blessing because I have a house in Kentucky and I’m able to go home on the weekends,” Beatty said.
