Women’s Quad to close next fall
While it won’t be any easier for upperclassmen to get on-campus housing for next fall, University Housing has taken steps to improve the application system.
Due to the closure of Wade Hampton, Sims and McClintock for the duration of the 2013-2014 school year, there will be 543 fewer beds available next fall. Most of these beds would go to incoming freshmen. Instead of living in these residence halls, these students will be distributed evenly into different buildings across campus.
The closure of the three buildings that make up the Women’s Quad also means fewer beds for upperclassmen, since incoming freshmen are guaranteed on-campus housing.
“Right now, we’re looking at a little over 1,000 beds that will go to returning students,” said Joe Fortune, director of administration for University Housing.
That’s down from 1,800 beds last year, when demand exceeded available spaces by 900.
After getting feedback from students and parents, University Housing has decided to try and make the application process easier on students.
The $150 advance fee, consisting of a $50 non-refundable application fee and a $100 advance room payment, that students used to pay upon applying for housing, have been pushed back. Instead of paying to apply for housing, students will pay the advance fee only if they are awarded a housing assignment and choose to accept it.
An interest form in any of the 20 Living and Learning Communities, including a General Learning Community geared towards students who aren’t pursuing any special interest, has replaced the application form. This interest form is open to students and has been for nearly two weeks.
The timeline for the housing assignments process has also been moved up; students are submitting their interest forms earlier and will be notified whether they will be given an assignment on Feb. 1. Last year, students had to wait until late February; at that point, popular off-campus apartment complexes were filling up fast, leaving some students frustrated.
Fortune said his timeline is intended to make finding alternatives easier.
“We want to give them more time to be able to secure off-campus housing should we be unable to offer them campus housing or if we offer them something they’re unhappy with,” Fortune said.
University Housing is already anticipating a surplus of demand for housing, especially in popular residence halls like East and South Quads.
“We will not have enough beds in apartment-style to meet demand for the current student population,” Fortune said.
University Housing has also worked with Off-Campus Student Services on this change in order to help students who are seeking off-campus housing most.
“We’ve moved our housing fair up. We usually time it about a week after students get notified about on-campus housing,” said Jami Campbell, coordinator of off-campus student services. “If you’re nervous or have questions because you didn’t originally plan on living off-campus, you have a way to ask and look at different options in a neutral environment.”
Campbell said that most of the popular off-campus apartment complexes fill up by late March, so students should have plenty of time to find housing. The first apartment complex to fill up last year, University Oaks, had leased all of its units by early March, she said.
“You may miss out on a certain floor plan, but I don’t think it’s going to be an issue,” Campbell said. “People may hear about a housing shortage and worry and rush to sign leases, but I don’t think people will have a problem finding housing. If places were full by Feb. 1, I’d be shocked.”