It has been Simpson’s long-held policy that the “Simpson Experience” is best achieved by living on campus.

This process, which envelops students in the world of Simpson College – and to some degree Indianola – is reasonable on paper, but lacking in reality.

Simpson must remember that the “Simpson Experience” is an excellent program, but it often misses the “Real Life Experience.”

Cutting students’ financial aid for living off campus forces them to stay on campus, often for the entire time they’re in college. They remain within the confines of not only a small town, but a small institution within that small town.

By living on campus all four years, students miss many “real life” learning opportunities. For example, Simpson students won’t have dealt with paying utility or heating bills on their own. They won’t have needed to completely rely on themselves for meals. They may graduate without the skills to budget for bills and groceries or for unexpected, real-life expenses.

Basically, Simpson students may never get any experience in a real-life living situation during their time here. When they do graduate and are thrown out into the real world – working at a real job and living in a real apartment – they aren’t fully prepared.

Simpson has the opportunity to build a positive relationship between its students and the communities outside of Simpson – namely Indianola and Des Moines. The college could keep students “here” when they’re young and allow them the option to move “there” later.

Simpson should keep the rules enacted upon freshmen and sophomores but free juniors and seniors from financial aid modifications if they move off campus.