With the addition of the new 101 Tremont St. residence hall, Suffolk has updated their housing policy, making housing for all four years a possibility. 

Suffolk’s vice president of communications Greg Gatlin said that the housing department prioritized housing the first and second year students in the past. Now, in addition to accommodating all undergraduate students who properly apply for housing, they also plan to accommodate graduate and law students. 

Senior political science major Lindsey Salek was initially confused when she heard the news. 

“Do we really have room for that? Maybe the building is bigger than I think it is, but like, are we sure we’re not just digging ourselves into a deeper hole here?” said Salek.

A new video was published on Suffolk’s website for the new building, providing a brief tour and floorplans. There will be roughly 280 beds in the building, similar to the size of the 1 Court St. residence hall. 

According to the floorplans, the second floor will serve as a common area for the residents. It will consist of a student lounge, the mail room, study rooms, bathrooms and an office and room for the residence director. The remaining floors will primarily feature double rooms, several singles, the resident assistant’s bedroom and seven communal bathrooms.

Salek is concerned that Suffolk is over accepting and won’t be able to accommodate everyone they’re extending the offer to.

“If we’re going from guaranteeing two years to four, granted, not everybody will stay on campus and that’s fine, but we’re not doubling our dorm space,” said Salek.

Salek also raised concerns about how the policy change affects the apartment-hunting timeline, noting that students typically need to secure off-campus housing in the spring. Though upperclassmen are now eligible for on-campus housing, some students remain unsure whether housing is truly guaranteed.

While there is a high demand for on-campus housing, students feel that the cost of living on campus is higher. 

“Price is definitely a big factor for me,” said Francisca Baduya, a sophomore journalism major. She currently lives on campus, but plans to commute from home after this semester because it will be more affordable.

“I just don’t think it’s sustainable for me to continue living here,” said Baduya. 

Liam Bautista, a sophomore marketing and management major, acknowledges the convenience of living on campus, but questions at what price?

“It’s almost unsustainable for me to continue living in the dorms here, that I just don’t think it’s worth it,” said Bautista. 

He’s currently in the process of finding an off-campus apartment. 

Breeyah Coulanges, a freshman journalism major, was surprised when she found out her class would get guaranteed housing for her whole time at Suffolk. Only three years were guaranteed when she applied, then she received an email in May of 2025 from Undergraduate Admissions that read, “…we are now guaranteeing this year’s incoming undergraduate students 4 years of university-sponsored housing!”

She felt that things were working in her favor, because she didn’t have any plans for housing after the three years. 

“It feels like a good little, kind of safety net,” said Coulanges. “I don’t know if I’ll find an apartment…but if all of that fails, it’s good to know that I have somewhere to live if possible.”

She looks forward to how the building will look, but is concerned about the location, considering it sits on top of Beantown Pub. She believes the building should be mixed housing, but only available for upperclassmen because of the bar below their feet. 

“I mean, it’s above a pub. Maybe it’s an interesting area to build a place for college students to live. Maybe underage college students could take advantage of that,” said Coulanges. 

Junior criminal justice major Sarah Fosberry shares this same concern and hopes Suffolk will establish extra security to avoid the issue. She also hopes the building will be built up to standard considering the building is set to be finished by fall semester. 

“I would hope that they’re putting extra effort into it if they are gonna do it in a shorter time,” said Fosberry.

Otherwise, she looks forward to the convenience of the location making the rest of campus easily accessible compared to living in an off-campus apartment, or even some other residence halls.