Res. Living has record number of retentions

A record number of upperclassmen applied last week to retain their rooms in the high rises next year, Director of Residential Living Gigi Simeone said yesterday. A total of 973 students went through the retention process. Of these, 673 will remain in the same rooms, while the other 300 applied to change rooms within their respective high rises. "I think we did really well," Associate Director of Occupancy Administration Eleanor Rupsis said, noting an increase from last year's 607 students who opted to retain their high rise rooms. She predicted that with the new room change option --Ewhich enables students to request other rooms within their current high rise before the actual arena begins -- fewer students will compete in the arena housing process that will take place next month. "It relieves a lot of anxiety," Rupsis said of the room-change option. "You know within a few days where you're going to live." With the success of this new housing possibility, Rupsis said she hopes Residential Living will be able to accommodate all of the rising sophomores who want to live on campus. "Space will be a little bit tighter this year," she said. But Simeone said she does not doubt that all students who wish to live on campus will be accommodated. "We will make sure that there is room for everyone who wants to live on campus," she said. Residential Living is taking many steps to encourage students to live on campus. For example, the decision to maintain the current average room rent for the second year in a row definitely played a role in the retention increase, Simeone said. Countless posters also advertise on-campus advantages like convenient location, ResNet and the student-centered community. And balloons have been scattered around campus to remind students to sign up for housing. For Engineering sophomore Aaron Vernon and his roommates, it was the convenience and comfort of on-campus living that convinced them to retain their High Rise North room. "We're happy here, I think," he said. "Our room is quiet and we're all engineers." And although he added that it can be a hassle getting from HRN to the Engineering School buildings, Vernon said hiking to class would be much less convenient if he lived off campus. But for College sophomore Avra Goldstone, a longer walk to class is worth the independence she will gain when she moves off campus next year. "You have more control over how you want to decorate," the High Rise South resident said. Some students said they worry that they may miss the on-campus student community by moving off campus.