Does your "dorm" have maid service?

Isn't staying in a hotel great? You never have to make your own bed, you always have fresh towels, and you never run out of hot water in the shower...

Wait...before you answer that question, maybe we should ask the 59 UMASS students who have been staying at the HoJo's on Route 9 since the beginning of the semester. According to today's Daily Collegian, a housing shortage means that these students will be living in the hotel until December.

Imagine this: You plan for your first semester at college. You look forward to campus life--meeting your roommate and all the people on your dorm floor. You go shopping at Target for all the dorm room must-haves. You can't wait!

But there is a catch. There is no room for you. When you get to Amherst, you move into a hotel off-campus. Any day now a room will open up, and you will move in. You keep your bags packed. It's only going to be a few days after all...

It looks like it's time to unpack. You are going to be there a while.

To add insult to injury...

Yesterday, USA Today published its survey of over 60 flagship state schools around the country. Did you know that UMASS-Amherst is one of the top ten most expensive state schools in the nation for in-state students? With an increase of over 40% since 2002, it costs over $9,000 to attend.

For the kid's at Hojo's, that's really gotta smart...