Res. Living assigns arena slots, draws mixed reactions

Wharton junior Aditi Kothari received a pleasant surprise Monday, when she discovered that she had received the No. 1 position in the housing arena process. "We expected we'd get a high number, but we didn't expect it to be this high," Kothari said. Kothari and Wharton junior Kanak Muchhal will apply for a two-bedroom high rise apartment during their 9 a.m. time slot at the arena sign-up Saturday. "I know those rooms are hard to get," Kothari said. "But with the number one position, they shouldn't be that hard. Now we can just pick the room we want." Arena will be held Saturday in McClelland Hall from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Groups of students received numbers ranging from one to 406, according to Associate Director for Occupancy Administration Ellie Rupsis. The lottery -- which is based on class priority -- gives highest numbers to rising seniors. She explained that approximately 700 students competed for available space in the high rises and graduate towers during the arena process. Over 200 of those students applied alone, but Rupsis explained that not all of the students actually wanted to live by themselves. "Not everyone is looking for a single room," she said. "They're just looking for a space." Additionally, 112 pairs of students, 37 groups of three and 32 groups of four students took part in the process. College junior Lianne Kurzweil, who received the No. 2 lottery position, said she "read the card twice to make sure I wasn't mistaken." "I'm going to get a single apartment, but I'm not sure yet in which high rise," she said. Other students, however, were not as lucky. When College freshman Steve Jasionowski opened his mailbox Monday, for example, he discovered that his group had received the third-to-last spot -- 404 out of 406 total positions. "It's a disappointment," he said. "I haven't found anyone with a lower number than me yet." Jasionowski, who applied with two other freshmen for a triple in the high rises, said his group will "consider other options" if they cannot obtain a triple apartment Saturday. "We're just going to go into the lottery and see what's available," he said. "My mind's open to anything right now." Rupsis noted that students whose low lottery numbers prevent them from finding their preferred room type can place themselves on a waiting list. Acting Director of Residential Life Chris Dennis explained that students will be able to see a breakdown of the available rooms later this week, which will enable them to "judge their chances" of receiving their preferred room. And Rupsis added that single rooms are still available in the Quadrangle and Stouffer College House, as well as many other program houses.