What's New for Room Selection 2013
First-year students who are new to the Room Selection process should also be sure to read the Information for First-Year Students page.
1. New Housing Application for students participating in Room Selection!
Housing and Dining Services is excited to roll out the new portal application process, beginning with Room Selection 2013. All students who are eligible for Room Selection will apply through the online housing portal for 2013-2014 academic year housing. Since this is the first time that this new application is being used, Housing and Dining staff members will be happy to answer any questions that you have about the process or to help you out if you encounter any issues.
2. Attention Residents who are Retaining!
In order to efficiently utilize available room spaces, residents who are retaining their current rooms must fill ALL vacancies in the room, suite, or apartment through the Room with a Retainer phase of Room Selection (pull-ins.)
Following the pull-in phase (March 25 and 26), residents who retain but do not pull-in roommates to fill all vacancies will be consolidated with other residents in half-filled rooms. This means that if you do not pull in roommates to fill your space, your final assignment may not be the exact room/suite/apartment that you retained, and may in fact be in a totally different building and of a different room type. Residents will either be reassigned to a new room that also has vacancies or will be assigned a roommate who also did not pull-in roommates. For example, if two residents in a Margaret Morrison apartment retain and do not pull in two additional roommates to fill the apartment, then the two residents who retained will either be consolidated to another Margaret Morrison apartment - if there was another two-person apartment that didn't pull in roommates - or they will be reassigned to a space in a different building that is designed for two people, such as a Morewood prime double or perhaps a double room in a different apartment building. The only way to guarantee your retained assignment is to pull in roommates to fill the room, suite, or apartment!
You will be notified via e-mail of your new assignment if you are consolidated. Though class standing, room type, building preference, and room rate of the desired room will be strongly considered, consolidations will be made at the sole discretion of Housing and Dining Services.
If you need assistance in finding a roommate, you will be able to browse through other students who are looking for roommates through the "Roommate Profile" section of the housing portal application.
3. Residents selecting as individuals must select from a limited number of half-filled room
In order to maximize the number of empty apartments for residents selecting with roommates, residents who are selecting as individuals will have the option to either select a single room (although it is extremely unlikely that one will be available) or from spaces in rooms or apartments where there is one remaining space available. Residents without a roommate will not be able to select an empty double or triple room. If there are no partially filled room options available then resident can sign up for an Open Assignment. It is in your best interest to come to participate in Room Selection with a roommate; otherwise your room options will be extremely limited. You can search for roommates as part of your Room Selection application.
4. Anticipated changes in housing rates for the 2013-2014 academic year
It is anticipated that the 2013-2014 academic year housing rates will increase by four to six percent, with the majority of room rates increasing an average of five percent. The housing reservation fee will be $400 per academic year - this is included in the four to six percent overall increase. Final rates for the 2013-2014 academic year should be available in March.
5. Possible changes in Housing for the 2013-2014 academic year
- Residents who are retaining or selecting a room on the 2nd floor of West Wing House should be aware that resident rooms on this floor may not be available for retention during Room Selection 2014. Students who are assigned to these spaces and are displaced will be given priority for other available rooms in West Wing (or other comparable rooms) for the 2014-2015 academic year.
- Residents in suites or rooms that do not share a community bathroom (private or semi-private bathrooms) may be responsible for cleaning their own bathrooms beginning in the 2013-2014 academic year. Bathrooms would still be cleaned by staff during Winter Break. If this change is made, residents assigned to these buildings will be notified.
- We will continue to phase out phone lines in individual rooms in all buildings. There are common area phone lines in each building or living area for emergency purposes. Residential life staff rooms will still be equipped with a phone line. This change is in response to feedback that the majority of current residents do not utilize the land lines and instead rely on cell phones for their communication needs.