Popularity of dorms makes switching rooms difficult

Getting rid of that tough-to-live-with roommate isn't getting any easier.

This year, only 29 applicants received their desired room change out of a pool of 75, according to Housing and Conference Services.

At the end of the first semester many students move around campus, whether due to roommate problems or a return from abroad.

"We have a very full system so there is not a lot of room for movement," Ware College House Dean Nathan Smith said.

"I don't think there are a lot of spaces available to move to at this time so I don't think that many students who wanted to go from here to some other house found anything," Gregory College House Dean Christopher Donovan added.

But it may be that students just aren't flexible enough.

Housing and Conference Services spokeswoman Dana Matkevich said that her department only offers students the type of room they request. If students choose several room types, they have a higher chance of receiving a room change.

Housing and Conference Services was unable to provide the number of open beds available on campus because students are still arriving from break.

For college junior George Bao, the process of receiving a new roommate wasn't a burden at all.

"They gave each of us a notice in the form of a letter telling us that one of our roommates is moving out for second semester, and that it's appropriate that they put in a person who doesn't have a place in our dorm," he said.

He added that although housing had not told him who his new roommate would be, he was in fact excited to be able to meet a new person.

It's not that easy for everyone, though.

"Sometimes it takes a little bit of understanding to get over that initial surprise [of having a new roommate]," Harrison College House Dean Frank Pellicone said.

On occasion, though, a room is vacated and not filled at the start of the semester.

"When that happens, there's always a demand," Smith said.

"Its either the resolution of some previous roommate problem or someone who has been dying to get in to a different building or a different situation. There's usually a waiting list of people who apply for spaces," he added.

For rooms where the roommate fails to arrive, housing services has an organized system to determine who gets in.

"I've never seen a room sit empty in this building for any stretch of time," Smith said.

As for students returning from abroad, the Office of International Programs said that 404 students studied abroad in the fall of 2005, whereas only 187 are studying abroad in the spring of 2006.

Housing assigned 175 new rooms this semester, which may in part accommodate the influx of students returning from abroad.

"People who are returning from abroad get offered spaces," Smith said.

While students returning from abroad can certainly get rooms, keeping the same room they once lived in is a greater challenge.

"I think the biggest difficulty we have is students who study abroad and want keep their college house identity," Pellicone said.

By the numbers - 39% of applicants received desired room changes - Only 187 students are studying abroad this semester, down from 404 last semester - Housing Services assigned 175 new rooms this semester to fill new demand

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