2008 Woodie Awards
Room Draw: The Real Deal
Elizabeth Fields
Issue date: 4/7/04 Section: Features
You've sent in your enrollment deposit. You've mailed your housing deposit. You've looked at that email with the online course selection booklet. You've made an appointment with your advisor. You've talked to someone about being your roommate for next year - wait a minute. Roommates? Room draw? When?
Fear not, the sometimes fun and equally frustrating process of room draw has barely begun. Two weeks ago, little pink booklets with information about room draw, special housing, and summer housing were sent through campus mail to all continuing students. There's a handy-dandy calendar on pages 2 and 3 that list all the dates you'll ever need to know about deadlines, information sessions, and when room draw numbers are distributed.
Ah, yes, room draw numbers, which are unquestionably the most questioned element of room draw. Room draw numbers, which are distributed in sets for each class, will be in campus mailboxes on April 8.
These numbers are completely random, according to Jeff Banasiak, Hall Director in Residence Life. "SAS has a computer program that generates random numbers by class standing," he said. "Your attendance at house meetings or any security violations have no bearing on your room draw number."
That may come as a shock to some, who may have been threatened with "If you get busted by security, your room draw number is going to go down!" Banasiak has dispelled those rumors this year.
"Most of us were new here three years ago, and that was used as a sort of threat to keep students "in line"," Banasiak said. "But empty threats don't work so well."
Any judicial hearings, including those involving alcohol, only affect a student's chances for special housing, like a room in the Healthy Living House (New House) or in the Dulaney Valley Apartments (DVA).
The process for obtaining special housing is much lengthier than just getting a number and standing in line on your assigned day. Students who wish to live in an on-campus apartment, on a language floor, in the quiet house, or in New House must submit an application.
A committee made up of students, RAs, and the Residence Life staff reads these applications and makes decisions based on "the quality of the essays, the number of credits achieved, and GPA," said Mary Ann Nation, current director of Residence Life. "Candidates are automatically eliminated if they have a GPA below a 2.5."
About three suites in New House are left open for incoming freshmen. Freshmen are not permitted to live in on-campus apartments.
This year, the process for determining which students will live in the DVA might be different, according to Banasiak. "We might do the DVA applications as a staff," he said. "There are other things to consider when we decide which students should be allowed to live across the street. For one thing, we want to make sure the students who live there aren't disturbing other members of the community."
As with on-campus apartments, freshmen are not placed in the DVA.
The application process for special housing ended yesterday, when students were notified of the status of their applications. If your application was approved, there is also a room draw for your specific room/suite on a language floor, in the quiet house, in the New House, or in the DVA. That will take place on April 12.
So if you didn't apply for an apartment, what do you do now? Well, you wait for your number, of course. But it's also a good idea to do some research, Banasiak suggests. Floor plans of all the on-campus rooms are available in Residence Life, so that you can scope out which exact room in Heubeck you hope to get.
Tonight there is an information session in Pearlstone Atrium at 8:00 p.m., where Residence Life staff will be available to answer questions about the process of Room Draw.
Banasiak also wants to make students, particularly freshmen, aware of a new event this year. "If people don't know who they want for a roommate, we're having a "Singles Night" on April 7 [tonight]," he said. "It will be an opportunity for people to talk and meet new people and maybe hook up with someone they want to room with next year."
This is especially important for freshmen, since, according to Stacy Cooper Patterson, "single [rooms] are at a premium." Continuing seniors, juniors, and sophomores who draw first frequently choose single rooms.
* * *
Room draw (that night when you stand in line until they call your number, and you tell them which room you want, only to hear that it's been filled) will run as follows:
April 12 for special housing and continuing seniors
April 13 for current juniors
April 19 for current sophomores
April 20 for current freshmen.
There is a wait list procedure that Residence Life will consider over the summer. Wait list preference forms will be accepted between April 26 and May 14.
Fear not, the sometimes fun and equally frustrating process of room draw has barely begun. Two weeks ago, little pink booklets with information about room draw, special housing, and summer housing were sent through campus mail to all continuing students. There's a handy-dandy calendar on pages 2 and 3 that list all the dates you'll ever need to know about deadlines, information sessions, and when room draw numbers are distributed.
Ah, yes, room draw numbers, which are unquestionably the most questioned element of room draw. Room draw numbers, which are distributed in sets for each class, will be in campus mailboxes on April 8.
These numbers are completely random, according to Jeff Banasiak, Hall Director in Residence Life. "SAS has a computer program that generates random numbers by class standing," he said. "Your attendance at house meetings or any security violations have no bearing on your room draw number."
That may come as a shock to some, who may have been threatened with "If you get busted by security, your room draw number is going to go down!" Banasiak has dispelled those rumors this year.
"Most of us were new here three years ago, and that was used as a sort of threat to keep students "in line"," Banasiak said. "But empty threats don't work so well."
Any judicial hearings, including those involving alcohol, only affect a student's chances for special housing, like a room in the Healthy Living House (New House) or in the Dulaney Valley Apartments (DVA).
The process for obtaining special housing is much lengthier than just getting a number and standing in line on your assigned day. Students who wish to live in an on-campus apartment, on a language floor, in the quiet house, or in New House must submit an application.
A committee made up of students, RAs, and the Residence Life staff reads these applications and makes decisions based on "the quality of the essays, the number of credits achieved, and GPA," said Mary Ann Nation, current director of Residence Life. "Candidates are automatically eliminated if they have a GPA below a 2.5."
About three suites in New House are left open for incoming freshmen. Freshmen are not permitted to live in on-campus apartments.
This year, the process for determining which students will live in the DVA might be different, according to Banasiak. "We might do the DVA applications as a staff," he said. "There are other things to consider when we decide which students should be allowed to live across the street. For one thing, we want to make sure the students who live there aren't disturbing other members of the community."
As with on-campus apartments, freshmen are not placed in the DVA.
The application process for special housing ended yesterday, when students were notified of the status of their applications. If your application was approved, there is also a room draw for your specific room/suite on a language floor, in the quiet house, in the New House, or in the DVA. That will take place on April 12.
So if you didn't apply for an apartment, what do you do now? Well, you wait for your number, of course. But it's also a good idea to do some research, Banasiak suggests. Floor plans of all the on-campus rooms are available in Residence Life, so that you can scope out which exact room in Heubeck you hope to get.
Tonight there is an information session in Pearlstone Atrium at 8:00 p.m., where Residence Life staff will be available to answer questions about the process of Room Draw.
Banasiak also wants to make students, particularly freshmen, aware of a new event this year. "If people don't know who they want for a roommate, we're having a "Singles Night" on April 7 [tonight]," he said. "It will be an opportunity for people to talk and meet new people and maybe hook up with someone they want to room with next year."
This is especially important for freshmen, since, according to Stacy Cooper Patterson, "single [rooms] are at a premium." Continuing seniors, juniors, and sophomores who draw first frequently choose single rooms.
Room draw (that night when you stand in line until they call your number, and you tell them which room you want, only to hear that it's been filled) will run as follows:
April 12 for special housing and continuing seniors
April 13 for current juniors
April 19 for current sophomores
April 20 for current freshmen.
There is a wait list procedure that Residence Life will consider over the summer. Wait list preference forms will be accepted between April 26 and May 14.