How on-campus housing is distributed is an issue close to students’ hearts. Plenty of students remember the first time they saw the Village A Rooftops, or the first time they realized they absolutely needed to have a Henle single, or their depression upon moving into Darnall. Consequently, the housing lottery is more closely analyzed than any other distribution system, like registering for class. There will always be another class, but you only get one shot (well, maybe three) at that apartment.
Last year, an expansion of Georgetown’s on-campus housing stock threw the entire process out of whack, and a lot of students discovered, against their wills and later than expected, the joys of off-campus housing. This year, the process has been streamlined on a variety of fronts.
The University will move the entire process forward so that students know by Thanksgiving break whether or not they are likely to receive housing next year. This should give students who need to find off-campus housing plenty of time to locate houses and apartments.
The system is also moving online. This year students will have all the information about location and floor plans available to them online, and they will have a designated time slot for selecting housing, much like the current registration completion system.
Lastly, the housing process will also have students enter the eligibility process individually, then form groups in the spring to make their selections. The change should help students improve their individual chances of eligibility.
The Georgetown University Student Association’s Housing Advisory Council has been heavily involved in this process, and should be commended for its efforts. “In just a couple of meetings, we’ve made some pretty big leaps,” said GUSA President Brian Morgenstern. The process may well require tweaking, but this is a strong start.
