The new semester means the time has come to start thinking about housing options for the next school year. Over the break students and their families received a lengthy packet in the mail about this process. Luckily, for rising sophomore students, things got a bit easier as they along with the incoming freshman class are also guaranteed housing for next year thanks to a new dorm that is set to open near the University library in September.
Ray Gonzalez, Associate Director of Residential Life said, “while the actual selection process is not changing, it does give us the ability to guarantee housing to all rising sophomores who are participating in the housing selection process. Prior to this year, while there was no guarantee of housing, we were able to accommodate all requests for housing over the last three years.”
Freshman Erica Villa is excited about this. “I think it is good that sophomores are also guaranteed housing. I am excited to get a suite with my friends and have another year on-campus.”
Freshman Kelly Loebs is also relieved that this year there will be no worrying about getting a high number in a housing lottery or having to move off-campus. “I feel that it decreases stress for all of my friends as well as myself and we all get to stay together another year,” said Loebs. “We were originally thinking about getting a house off-campus, but changed our minds due to this option to avoid conflicts.”
Freshman Michelle Bacchetta also agreed that there are more benefits than disadvantages when it comes to living on-campus. “I am excited to have another year on-campus because it is better than trying to locate an off-campus house or apartment which can be very expensive.”
Sophomore, Jennifer Young, strongly agreed that staying on-campus is a positive thing, but more from the point that first year students have more to deal with in terms of adjusting to college life. “I know many first year students are stressed out enough by the new demands of college and having to get a house off-campus adds even more. Having another year set on-campus alleviates tension at selection time and some students are not ready to locate an off-campus house as freshmen due to this major adjustment.”
A few students still think that this will cause some stress. Freshman Annie Siegel said, “Students still have to figure out their dorm preference and it will be difficult for those with high numbers.”
While housing is guaranteed, the number system that has been used in past years for the selection will still be used. This system, upon payment of the housing deposit, generates a random number for students to use to select their housing assignment. The higher the number, the less of a selection a student has. The only exception to this is if a roommate or friend with a lower number pulls him or her in and they get a room together. Thus, a person with a high number who is not pulled in may not get his or her first choice of preference in terms of building style. For sophomores, there are both suite and quasi-traditional style dorms available.
Sophomore, Lena Kaplan also agrees that some students may have had a difficult time finding some friends to live with for the following year. “Some students may have not had a suitable roommate from last year and this will give the chance for students to find others who are more compatible with their living styles.” This would be even more important for the coming year because many students move to an off-campus house during their junior or senior year.
Housing deposits will be collected from Feb. 3 through Feb. 14 on Web Advisor and selection will take place on April 3 for juniors and seniors and April 5 for rising sophomores.
PHOTO COURTESY of Suzanne Moore
