Highlights for Room Selection 2012-Housing and Dining Services - Room Selection - Carnegie Mellon University

What's New for Room Selection 2012

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. Henderson Wellness House to be filled through an application process.

Once again, Henderson House, which is a living community with a substance free and wellness focus, will be filled for the 2012-2013 academic year through an application based process.  All current residents who are interested in living in Henderson Wellness House are encouraged to apply.

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, 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 guaranteed 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, add your name or search through our Roommates Connection Database to find other students who are currently looking for  roommates. 

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.  If there are no partially filled room options available then residents will be given an Open Assignment.  It is in your best interest to come to Room Selection with a roommate; otherwise your room options will be extremely limited.  Use the Roommate Connections Database if you need assistance in finding a roommate!

4.  Open Assignment will be an option prior to the last night of General Room Selection

In an effort to streamline the Open Assignments process, an Open Assignments Reception will be held on Tuesday, April 3rd.  Students who are interested in signing up for an Open Assignment, would like to learn more about what Open Assignments are, or first-year students with particularly high Room Selection numbers (200 or above) should plan on attending this event.  Learn more about Open Assignments.

5. Anticipated changes in housing rates for the 2012-2013 academic year

It is anticipated that the 2012-2013 academic year housing rates will increase by four to six 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 2012-2013 academic year should be determined some time in March.

6. Possible changes in Housing for the 2012-2013 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 2012-2013 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 and move towards having common phone lines in each building or living area for emergency purposes.  The specific buildings where phone lines will be - or already have been - phased out include Boss House, Doherty Apartments, Donner Hall, Hamerschlag Hall, Morewood Gardens, Morewood E-Tower, Mudge House (except for B and C tower basement rooms), Scobell House, Shirley Apartments, Stever House, Resnik, West Wing, and Residence on Fifth.  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.