Few on-campus rooms left for next semester

With only a few choice rooms remaining, some students applying for on-campus housing are wondering exactly where they will be living next fall.

According to Elli Rupsis, associate director of Housing and Conference Services, more students applied to move between college houses this year, creating a crunch for rooms on campus.

Rupsis said she didn't yet have specific numbers but said students should prepare in case they don't receive their first choice of on-campus rooms.

"Most of the prime space is, at this point, gone," Rupsis said.

Students will find out March 15 what room they have secured -- or, in some cases, that they have secured no room at all.

Riepe and Ware college houses in the Quadrangle both had about 16 singles still available as of last night. Riepe College House had an estimated 17 doubles, while Ware College House had 11.

The high rises, whose residents are mostly upperclassmen, have less space available.

There were about three quad apartments -- which Rupsis said is the most popular room type for non-freshmen -- available in Hamilton College House last night. Harnwell had eight.

Those who don't receive one of their top housing choices are placed on a wait list until an option opens up or the student decide to move off-campus. Last year, Rupris estimated about 400 students were put on the list.

While there are likely more students applying for housing than there are beds available, Rupsis said that these numbers can be deceiving.

She said that more rooms will be opening up in each college house when both incoming-freshman housing is assessed and rooms associated with residential programs are filled.

Students who have chosen to retain their current rooms or stay in the same college house have already received their assignments. Those who apply for in-house assignments are all able to remain in the same college house.

Those who applied for community living, which places six to 12 friends in rooms near each other, have also already been assigned or rejected, although Rupsis couldn't provide the number of students who are living in this type of housing arrangement.

The inter-house application process, which ended this past week, is the final one in which current students can apply for on-campus housing next fall.

Rupsis said that singles and triples recently converted from higher-capacity rooms will no longer afford their residents the extra space and will instead be reconverted to accommodate extra students.

She added that rising sophomores still seeking college house-living should be as flexible as possible with their room choice.

Engineering freshman Vandana Sood applied for a quad in the high rises but is pessimistic about her prospects.

"I guess we are going to have to start looking off campus ... so that all the good places are not taken," she said.

Sood added that she and her future roommates were flexible in their room choices and put down as many room combinations as possible on their applications.

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