By Amy Fuhrman, Staff Writer
Residence Life officials announced that the lottery-style housing assignments will make a comeback this April. It will be the second year of the lottery.
This process, now named the “Housing Draft,” is scheduled for April 7 in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center.
Students who plan to live on campus will enter to choose rooms and roommates for the 2013-14 school year. The draft does not apply to summer housing.
Students who do not attend the draft will be allowed to choose a proxy to pick a room in their place.
The draft will be similar to last year’s lottery. Students will choose rooms in an order determined by a lottery system.
Students will choose numbers from buckets based on their class for the Fall 2013 semester. This is to ensure that seniors will get first pick in the draft, said Liz Harney, assistant director of university housing.
While waiting for their group to be called, students are encouraged to stay in the gym. There will be food and a DJ to help pass the time.
Once their number is called, students will go upstairs to the Leichter Room and choose their building and room.
The rooms already taken will be crossed out, and students can choose from the remaining rooms.
The DJ and housing staff members in the gym will announce ticket numbers that can proceed to choose their rooms. Students will not be allowed to enter the Leichter Room until their group is called.
Harney said she thinks this will help the students to hear their number better, as well as enjoy the experience more.
“Many students missed their numbers last year because they were rushing the doors,” Harney said.
Blakeley Pearson, cellular and molecular biology sophomore, said announcing numbers will benefit everyone.
“I really hated the process,” Pearson said. “It was so unorganized and confusing.”
Though the process was unpleasant for some students—with many comparisons to the popular series The Hunger Games—most ended up with the results they wanted.
“I was fine with the results,” Pearson said. “We ended up getting the room we had wanted.”
While some students seem less than satisfied with the lottery process, Harney and the housing staff stand by the draft.
“I think most students left happy,” Harney said. “By April, students will know where they are living and who their roommate is.
“It will be a weight off their shoulders.”
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