Housing crunch forces 17 students into the Sheraton

Finding beds for students remains a headache for housing officials as Penn's dormitories are filled to the brim. For the second year in a row, all of Penn's 5,272 beds are filled, with a few students required to stay in a hotel because of the situation. Last spring, 350 upperclassmen were denied housing. Since then, most have found places in dorms or room types that were not first choices. Of that number, only 17 still remain homeless. Penn will be placing these 14 upperclassmen and three transfer students in the University City Sheraton at 36th and Chestnut streets until housing can be found for them. The incoming freshmen -- who number around 2,400 -- all received on-campus housing, said Doug Berger, the director of housing and conference services. When students were originally rejected, they were offered several options including applying for a place in the graduate towers, staying in the Sheraton temporarily, being placed on a waitlist or finding off-campus housing on their own. The number of upperclassmen denied housing this year was actually lower than last year's total, when approximately 375 students were denied housing. According to David Brownlee, director of college houses and academic services, Penn has been growing accustomed to a full housing system. "Having a freshman class that was not over-big, and having a few years experience running a full college house system, has enabled us to be better prepared," he said. Dormitories filled to capacity are a recent development at Penn. "It was considered good if we got 90 percent," said Brownlee, referring to the days before the creation of the college house system three years ago. Brownlee attributes the great demand for on-campus housing -- at least in part -- to the new housing system. "We have certainly made living on campus attractive," he said. Brownlee also said he believes the college house system, now in its third year, has become integral to the Penn mindset. "I think that students appreciate the college house system in the same way that you and I appreciate electricity." The college house system began operating in the fall of 1999. It incorporates every one of Penn's 12 dormitories, each of which has its own house dean, faculty master and several other staffers. The house staff plan social events for their residents, and provide services like computer labs and writing advising. The college house system has become a large part of Penn's drive to create more alcohol-free social outlets. Part of the University's ambitious 10-year dormitory revitalization plan includes adding 1,000 beds to the residential system by building additional dorms in the Hamilton Village area. The University is still trying to find housing for the 17 students currently living in the Sheraton