For the first time in its history, Creighton enrolled more than 1,000 freshmen. The second largest incoming was welcomed last year, consisting of 985 new students. Meanwhile, finding on-campus living is increasingly difficult for Creighton’s juniors and seniors.

In the next decade, Creighton will build more on-campus housing for older students. Construction has been postponed because of the recession, but this investment will be increasingly necessary. As Creighton’s enrollment grows, the university must find the resources to build more upperclassman housing.

Many Creighton students eagerly wait for the day they become juniors so they can be truly independent. After 18 years of living under their parents’ roofs and two years of vigilant RAs maintaining order in the dorm rooms, they are glad they can finally drink beer, go to bed at 3 a.m. and have barbecues in their yards.

It’s great these students have the option to live in a house or apartment. However, there are many more students who don’t want to leave campus but are forced to do so because of the limited space in Opus and Davis.

Many Creighton students do not have a car. This is particularly true of those who come from outside the Midwest, such as the university’s large Hawaiian population and the growing number of international students. Even those students who do have a car find it more convenient to live on campus.

During the winter, they may not want to take the time to scrape ice off of their cars. Also, having to commute to classes every day and the risk of being late because of traffic makes off-campus living inconvenient.

Unfortunately, Creighton’s campus is not in the safest part of Omaha. Thus students should have the right to live near the buildings where their classes are and not feel threatened.

Providing more residence halls for upperclassmen is also beneficial for the Creighton community. Most active members of student clubs and organizations are freshmen and sophomores. Looking for upperclassmen on campus outside of classes can be difficult.

Many students who live off campus become disconnected with the university and spend little time at Creighton beyond going to lectures. Because Creighton’s Jesuit values encourage students to be socially conscious, the university should take all steps to persuade students to be concerned about their college community.

Building more residence halls for older students is not enough. Many students really want to live in Opus or Davis but are turned off by the high cost of rent. They often find off-campus housing of equal or even better quality for a fraction of the cost.

With tuition approaching $30,000, many are reluctant to get into even more debt by living on campus. In keeping with Creighton’s mission of striving toward greater socioeconomic equality, on-campus living should not be elitist.

A greater undergraduate population and more tuition money will help lessen Creighton’s burgeoning debt. However, the university must take responsibility for all of its actions.

Future students must have the privileges that attending a prestigious university entails. One privilege that should not be neglected is the guarantee of on-campus living for all who want it.