Although the Office of Housing announced earlier this year that all students who want to live on campus would be guaranteed housing, the sign-up for residence hall room selection will be limited to students in the class of 2006.
According to an e-mail sent to students Wednesday by the Office of Housing Services, the desire for on-campus housing exceeds the actual availability of housing. One thousand more students entered the housing lottery than last year and the opening of the Southwest Quadrangle will only provide 784 new beds, leaving at least 216 students unable to live on campus.
Ed Shelleby (CAS ‘04), a member of the Housing Advisory Council, said that the administration never considered the possibility of a housing shortage when they opened on campus housing to all students.
“The housing office thought people would stay off-campus. They thought there would be a housing surplus and they would have to give housing to grad students and rent it for conferences to fill the space,” Shelleby said.
Shelleby said that since there were only 48 hours between the time lottery picks were handed out and apartment selection began, the Housing Office had no idea that there would be a shortage.
According to Brian Morgenstern (CAS ‘05), another member of the Housing Advisory Council, the committee notified Director of Housing Services Shirley Menendez that there was likely to be a housing shortage if all students were guaranteed housing for next year.
“We looked at the numbers and realized that there would not be enough housing for all juniors and seniors to live on campus. We advised [Menendez] to be careful,” Morgenstern said.
Morgenstern said that Menendez had different estimates than the students on the Council.
“She had reasoned otherwise … she said she thought a lot of seniors would want to live off campus and live in singles in the Southwest Quad,” Morgenstern said.
Menendez did not return phone calls as of press time.
Dan Pickering (CAS ‘05), a student who must live off campus due to the housing shortage, said he is frustrated with the housing process.
“It is frustrating to be promised housing, get a bad pick as a rising junior and be told by the housing office that you will still get housing, then find out that you are forced to live off campus,” Pickering said.
