Facing the worst housing luck of any SU student in recent memory, sophomore biology major Jessica Blanston upgraded her situation by dating her way into a Watson Hall suite.
Blanston held the dead last spot in the spring housing lottery for the 2010-2011 academic year, and knew she was in dire straits.
“They put me in the 1300 block of Winding Ridge,” said Blanston. “I didn’t even know they had a part of South Campus that remote.”
A fall semester of half-hour bus rides, zero convenient parties, and resentment from the roommates she dragged down with her drove Blanston to the brink of finding off-campus housing. Then Blanston found a way out, in the form of junior statistics major and Watson Hall resident Kyle Wolfe.
Blanston’s January first meeting with Wolfe, as transcribed by this reporter: “We were at Sig Ep, and I saw Kyle wearing this one shirt, and blah blah blah blah blah I already don’t care.”
How Blanston captured Wolfe’s heart is unknown. What is know is that within two weeks of meeting each other, Blanston and Wolfe were spending the night together several times per week. And just a few short months later, Wolfe went to the trouble of taking her out to dinner.
He may even pay for her meal at some point in the future.
With easy access to Wolfe’s spacious four-person corner suite, and the trust of Wolfe’s roommates, Blanston kicked her plan into action. Beginning by leaving various accessories behind at the suite, she then maintained a complete set of clothes there “to save me trips back and forth from South.”
“Then I started keeping my books there, because I got sick of carrying those so far to and from class,” said Blanston. “Plus I love doing my homework on his couch, listening to his stereo and drinking his Vitamin water.”
Blanston then moved more of her laundry in without anyone noticing, stashed a set of bath and body supplies for when she uses Kyle’s shower after working out, and arranged her major social events to use the suite as a base for a pre-bar or the main location.
“All Kyle’s roommates love having me around, and my friends are gonna be my best friends forever and love being around me at all times,” said Blanston. “So it works out for everybody.”
Blanston now averages six days and nights per week at Wolfe’s suite, with an average of one other day per week taking care of laundry at Goldstein and homework at Bird. And her impressive, sudden, and free residency at Watson Hall Room 211 has caught the attention of many.
“Yeah, I see what’s-her-name here all the time,” said junior advertising major Steve Flowers, a roommate of Wolfe. “Kyle says she gives up the A.”