Students snatch up singles at Res. Living Arena

The early bird gets the single. That's what students seeking dormitory rooms learned Saturday at Residential Living's Grand Arena. Starting at 9 a.m., students began lining up in front of the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall according to their lottery numbers, which ranged from one to 622. Students were assigned their lottery draws last Monday. On the postcard that assigned the numbers, students also received the time they should arrive at the Arena in order t o reduce congestion and waiting time. Within half an hour all high rise singles were taken, leaving only singles in the Graduate Towers and the Quad. By 10:30 a.m., only seven high rise triples remained while all 18 quads left had no kitchens. Surprisingly, 90 doubles were still available. College sophomore Kristen Lovelace had wanted to rent a single in the high rises, but is now going to live in the Grad Towers next year. "I wanted to get an apartment in the high rises but I figured they'd be gone," she said. "[The Grad Towers] are really not that bad." But when Engineering freshman Ginlei Liu didn't get the single she wanted, she decided to look off campus for housing. By 11:30 a.m., the quads had run out and at 1 p.m. there was just one triple left. And although the process was running a little slow around noon, the scheduled lunch break allowed time for catching up. After not getting the quad she wanted, College freshman Keely Tolley placed her name on the waiting list and said she was going to "hope for the best." She said that although she was frustrated, she didn't blame the system. "I understand how the Arena works," she said. "I'm a little concerned about what I'm going to do in the summer months. It's a little stressing not knowing where you're going to live next year." Near the end of the day almost every student began placing their names on the waiting lists. Some annoyed students began blaming the Arena process as a whole. "It was poorly run, [poorly] organized as well," College junior Brendan Cahill said. "The student [volunteers] were particularly incompetent and sometimes rude -- even more so than I expected." He added that he thought the system is outdated and would like to see room selection done over electronic mail. "For a school that's supposed to be in the 21st Century, this is really some of sort of nightmare," he said. Many students said Residential Living should give preference to upperclassmen in assigning rooms, while others said preference should be given to students with special needs, such as dietary concerns. "I wish you could talk about your preferences before you get your lottery number," Wharton freshman Priyanka Chamaria said. "Because now if we don't get [a room], we have to shift off-campus and then there are safety problems." Ellie Rupsis, associate director of Residential Living, felt that Saturday's Arena was one of the best organized in recent years. "It went very well," she said. "There weren't any problems. I think it seemed less stressful this year. I think we had more people go through other processes." Rupsis said that this year more students retained their current dorm rooms or selected apartments through community living. Rupsis added that students still interested in living on campus should definitely place their names on the waiting lists, which are available until 5 p.m. Tuesday.