As it has in years past, the housing lottery is approaching now that spring term is under way. Yet, this year's lottery will vary from those that have preceded it. Gone are the days when on-campus housing was restricted to underclassmen, rooming groups were limited to four people and the battle for the title of best on-campus housing was fought between residents of the Bradford and Homewood apartments.
The much-anticipated opening of the Charles Commons in the fall of 2006 means that on-campus housing will be open to rising seniors, juniors and sophomores -- a change that carries many implications for campus housing policies, including the housing lottery.
Traditionally, the housing lottery is an event in early spring that creates much anxiety for rising sophomores, as students struggle to make the best of their randomly assigned housing lottery number.
While the tension will most likely remain, the housing lottery will be markedly different in the future.
Upperclassmen will be able to live on campus, and if they choose to remain in University housing, students will take part in the housing lottery.
"Current sophomores and juniors are going to register first, and go through a process very similar to last year," said Carol Mohr, senior director of Housing and Dining services.
Upperclassmen will be able to choose from Charles Commons, Bradford, Homewood, McCoy and one wing of Wolman. "We are hoping that each of the different buildings will have different appeal," Mohr said.
Although more people will be participating in the lottery, Mohr said, "We think that we will be able to accommodate most of the students that really want to stay in university housing."
After upperclassmen choose their on-campus residence, current freshmen will choose from the spaces that remain.
Mohr said, "We're so excited about the Charles Commons opening because it gives us the opportunity to bring upperclassmen back into housing," Mohr said. "We think that's really going to have a positive impact on the residential community."
An additional change to be made to on-campus housing is the option of living with a group of eight students. In the past students have been limited to housing groups of up to four peers. This year the University will be testing a program that allows students to reserve abutting suites in McCoy, so that they will have the ability to live with seven friends.
If students choose this housing option, they will have the ability to reserve their space before the main housing lottery process even begins.
Responding to student interest, the housing office is "piloting [the group of eight option] this year to see if it's something that students are interested in doing," said Mohr.
With numerous changes being made to the old system, the housing office is trying keep students informed. "The housing office will be hosting a number of information sessions and tours and providing lots of opportunities to really try and help students be familiar with what their options are," Mohr said.
Beyond these major changes, the rudimentary procedure of the housing process will remain as it has in the past. Before the housing lottery in March, students will register online in groups of one, two, three or four students.
During registration students fill out a room preference questionnaire in which they indicate their preferred rooming situation in each of the available on campus housing buildings. Once registered, students will shortly receive a lottery number and make selections according to their randomly assigned number.
