Perhaps the most uncommon housing on campus, marriage housing, has some things that are quite unexpected. In addition to freshmen dorms, upperclassmen dorms, and off-campus apartments, Olivet also offers housing for married couples. This housing is exclusively for couples who are married.
Here, students will live alongside other students who are also married while still having their own personal living space. Marriage housing is located a mile and a half off campus, making for only a 5-minute drive to campus. These apartments offer amenities such as a full-size kitchen, plenty of storage space, and in-building laundry.
I interviewed Maggie and Albert here on the campus of Olivet Nazarene to see what they like most about living in marriage housing, as well as any inconveniences they have experienced. Maggie describes that their favorite thing is being able to be in the same place without having to keep the door open, (the way it is in any other Olivet housing). Albert agrees that this is a benefit to marriage housing, but Albert also mentions that the shared space of marriage housing is nice. He describes how everyone in the building is in the same mindset because they are all married, so there is a good mix of giving each other space and getting to spend time with everyone around them.
When asked how living in marriage housing has affected their college experience, Maggie, and Albert mention two main things. One is that they don’t have access to Olivet Wi-Fi, which makes it hard for printing. And they also mention that now that they are off of campus, they have to commute to school. While the drive to campus isn’t super far, it is still an inconvenience when there is something happening on campus that they want to participate in.
Despite the minor inconveniences, Maggie offers a strong recommendation to anyone who is married on campus to live in the marriage housing. She explains that the rent is cheaper than anything else in the surrounding area. Also, the Olivet apartments are nicer and cleaner kept than any other Olivet housing options. They explain how any work orders that are put in at marriage housing are completed faster than in any other housing option.
Finally, Maggie and Albert talk about how living in marriage housing at Olivet has been a good transition into married life. Since they are both still students on campus, they don’t necessarily have the means to get a job and live on their own. Albert explains how marriage housing is the perfect way for married students to ease into life while still having an affordable housing payment. He also mentions how being close to campus allows both of them to still feel like they are a part of the school. An article by University of Waterloo mentions that living off-campus still allows students to have access to all of the campus’ offerings. They are still able to spend intentional time with their on-campus friends and participate in Olivet activities that they enjoy. Marriage housing provides a good balance of independence, while still allowing Albert and Maggie to fully embrace their college experience.
