FREDERICTON (CUP)—A shortage of space in University of New Brunswick residences has left students camping out in lounges, libraries and a weight room.

The university says the measure is meant to bring more students in for frosh week activities, but some students feel that the over-crowding hurts the school’s reputation.

Joy Kidd residence has given up its library and weight room to the students leaving them with the most lounge areas taken in comparison to the other residences at the school.

Benjamin Langille, a resident at Joy Kidd, feels this problem should have been prevented.

“They should have been aware of this before letting people in to residence,” said Langille.

John Craighead, associate director of Res Life, said the new “lounge rooms” are a way of getting people more involved in Orientation Week.

“Being on campus will allow them to integrate into the campus community,” he said.

“This year we only had a few lounges that were equipped to handle these residents,” said Craighead. “Next year we hope to only have a few people in each house that need to live in the lounge rooms until a room becomes available.”

Stephanie Lewey, Bridget Moulton, and Sarah Cote-Booth are all first-year students who are living in the weight room at Joy Kidd residence.

“We’ve kind of made a home here,” said Lewey. “It’s really not that bad.”

Moulton said that although the girls had to ask for a few things, it’s all right.

“However, it would be nice to unpack,” she said.

Cote-Booth says she feels they shouldn’t overbook residences.

“What will they do if people stay?” she asked.

But some students believe the lounge rooms are not a good idea.

“It leaves a bad impression on parents by dropping people off in lounges and libraries,” said Langille. “I don’t know if my parents would have left me here if that had been the case when I moved in.”

“My mother threw a fit. She thought I wouldn’t even have a lock on my door,” said Moulton.

Zack Mirza, a proctor at Joy Kidd, also disagrees with the way the students are placed.

“If I was in their situation I would be pretty angry. I’d complain to the residence office.”

There is a proposal in the works to build a new residence but the funding isn’t there to do it yet.

“Financially, a new building would not be self supporting. We would need outside funding,” said Craighead.

He said the new residences would be more of a transitional residence from the standard rooms to an apartment setting.

Craighead said UNB is one of the few universities in the Maritimes that gives residence priority to returning students rather than first-years.

“We don’t guarantee a room to frosh,” said Craighead.

New students who apply within the first three weeks after a residence offer are guaranteed a room.

Residence staff have guaranteed the students will be out of the lounges by the end of the first week of school.