After only 66 out of 220 juniors were granted off-campus housing last week, Campus Council discussed ways to improve the housing lottery Thursday night.
The council voted with one abstention to pass a resolution asking Residence Life and Housing Services to assign lottery numbers in the Spring before students go abroad. Students who wish to live off campus for the second half of their junior year are currently required to enter the off-campus housing lottery midway through Fall.
Most students who request to enter the off-campus housing lottery are juniors studying abroad, said M.J. Williams, director of housing accommodations, administration and finance for RLHS.
“The problem is, many students have already placed down payments on off-campus apartments by the time they find out they have not been granted an exemption,” said sophomore Cristy de Obaldia, an at-large member of the council who gave the presentation on the off-campus housing lottery. “[And] students end up losing these down payments.”
RLHS determines who can live off campus through a series of calculations, de Obaldia said, adding that RLHS must ensure that all campus beds are filled before granting students off-campus privileges. Although RLHS cannot grant everyone housing exemptions, de Obaldia said this resolution will try to make the lottery process more convenient for students living abroad.
The resolution recommends that RLHS begin these calculations earlier, so it can give students an earlier and more accurate estimation of whether they will be able to live off campus, de Obaldia added.
“The biggest thing here is Campus Council’s responsibility to improve the residential experience of its constituents, [and] to make it easier for students to plan,” said Campus Council President Stephen Temple, a senior. “It doesn’t hurt RLHS for students to know more in advance if they have a better shot of being released from their on-campus requirement. This will give a little more notice.”
Temple noted that RLHS’s prediction is not a guarantee, but he hopes that this strategy will give students more time to plan properly and limit the number of surprises.
In other business:
Facilities and Services Chair Douglas Hanna, a sophomore, gave an update about the committee’s upcoming projects, which include a laundry-monitoring system, residence hall maps and improved lighting around West and Central campuses, Hanna said. He added that Dyson airblade hand-dryers will be installed in Blackwell Dormitory as part of a pilot program to reduce the University’s consumption of paper towels.
Hanna added that a reverse vending machine is expected to be installed in Wannamaker Dormitory by the end of the month, and a photo machine is expected to be installed on the ground floor of McClendon Tower soon.
Hanna also announced that an Oasis-like space will be created on the third floor of McClendon Tower below Bella Union. The Facilities and Services Committee has already looked into ordering massage chairs and approved art work and paint for the space.
“All the ducks are kind of already in a row for this, so this will be done soon,” he said.
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