Very recently, University of Massachusetts Boston announced that it will be opening dorms in the 2018 school year. For all of the commuters who have had to suffer through those ruthless winter commutes, this is a bittersweet moment. We’ve attended this school without any hopes of dorming here, being forced to live in the over-expensive apartments around the school, in apartments in the not-so-nice areas of Dorchester, and even going as far as commuting from home and out of state. Not only does the cost of not living near campus take a toll on you, the daily parking fee’s and lack of room make it a nightmare.
This is why the new student dorms are a great idea. It opens up the parking spots for people who live a medium distance away, also with new cost of living, it will hopefully do away with the ridiculous and insulting parking fee, that commuters have to face. This would allow people who live further away from school to afford it a bit more, but also would give them a chance to live near campus if they choose dorming.
Not to mention the dorms will keep the students close to school, so that there will be less cancellations. With more students living closer to the school, UMass Boston will finally have a sense of community. With everyone mainly being commuters here, the lack of community is a major deal, with students having little to no school spirit. Also, increased security will mean better safety for students. 
By freeing up parking and parking expenses for commuters, establishing a sense of school community, and increase in campus safety, the new UMass dorms have a lot of potential to be a great idea.