My colleagues in Residence Life and Housing have shared information about making changes to your room assignment between the fall and spring semesters.
This websitedetails the specifics of room changes. I want to draw your attention to a piece of this process that is a change from previous years, and especially applicable to families who currently have juniors who are studying abroad – the off campus lottery to be released from their 3-year residency requirement.
In the past, juniors who were abroad in the fall (and coming back in the spring) had to petition to be released to live off campus. What we discovered over time was that most of these petitions all had very similar reasons for wanting to live off campus, and it was difficult to discern how to choose among the petitions. Therefore, a random lottery is a more equitable process.
Juniors currently abroad who want to apply to live off campus can form an off-campus roommate group and enter the Off-Campus Lottery from the Housing Portal between October 15 and November 1. Releases will be communicated by November 12. This videoexplains the process. Note that ALL members of an off-campus roommate group have to enter the off-campus lottery. If any of the students in a group get a lottery spot, they will all be released.
It is critical to understand that there will be far fewer off-campus lottery spaces this year than have been available in previous years. Therefore, students should not make any plans to live off-campus unless they have been released in writing from the residency requirement by the Office of Residence Life and Housing. Do not sign leases until after your Deac has received official notice. If you sign a lease before the 12th and your student does not get an off-campus lottery spot, you will still be obliged to honor the residency requirement on campus.
The websitealso details other types of room changes. One is for students who are currently living on campus (and who will have a vacancy in the spring semester). They can “pull in” a roommate of choice for the spring. That “pull in” could be another student currently living on campus, or a student returning from abroad. There is also a possibility for students who are currently on campus to change rooms for the spring (i.e., switch roommates) provided all parties agree and if space is available.
The Housing Portal opens tomorrow – October 15th – for these room change requests. While resident Deacs (and Deacs currently abroad) have all received an email about it, you might want to make sure your Deac has read that email and takes action if applicable.
