Current freshmen who live on campus at Colorado State University-Pueblo will be required to abide by a new university housing policy for their sophomore year. The new rule, which will require the students to live on campus for two years, will also apply to freshmen under 21 years of age enrolled for fall 2016.

Starting with CSU-Pueblo’s current group of freshmen, students will be required to stay on campus for four consecutive semesters.

Right now, the only exception to the rule, according to the CSU-Pueblo Housing website, applies when the student’s home address is within 50 miles of the university. Beginning in the fall, the only exception will be for Pueblo County residents. They will be the only ones not affected by the rule.

Residence Life and Housing Director and Student Conduct and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Jami Hinshaw said these new requirements are set in place to ensure the academic success of students.

“Residence Life and Housing is committed to student success both inside and outside of the classroom. Studies have shown that students who live on campus have a higher GPA and connect with the community (professors, student engagement and leadership),” Hinshaw said.

The new policy may also produce more demand for housing on campus.

Belmont Residence Hall was closed at the beginning of the fall 2015 semester because not enough students signed up to live there. Last week, first-year residence life coordinator Monica Gallegos told the Today the new housing policy will produce more demand for housing on campus.

Regardless, living on campus may provide academic benefits for some students.

Jeanette Prado, a sophomore social work major who has lived on campus for two years, said living on campus has benefitted her success academically.

“I’m close to the library, professors’ offices and tutoring centers,” Prado said. “I can easily get the help I need when I need and it is less than five minutes of travel from my residence hall to the resources on campus.”

“I can also easily go to my professors for help and I don’t have to travel far to do so,” she said.

With the new live-on requirement in action, Hinshaw and her team are also working to create social and financial benefits for students.

“We are working on an interest based community to focus on the needs of our sophomore students often considered to be the sophomore slump,” she said.

These interest based communities will allow sophomore students to live with other people of the same interests, including sports, music, art and others.

“We are hoping to lock in a student rate so the rate they paid when they came in as a first-year student will be the rate they pay as a sophomore student,” Hinshaw said.

Another benefit, Hinshaw added, is that students will have the ability to room with the same person for the entire academic year or contract period.

Further details regarding the new live-on requirements can be found here.