RPS housing renewal to begin Monday

The first phase of online resident hall housing renewal begins Monday for students wishing to retain their same Residential Programs and Services room next fall.

Renewal is open to anyone currently living on campus that would like to hold onto their room for next year. If a student lives in a double in Read Center, for example, this phase of renewal allows them to reserve a double room in the same building for next fall.

Phase one of housing renewal is especially important for two different groups of students, said Sara Ivey Lucas, assistant director of assignments for RPS.

Students studying overseas in the upcoming spring semester who would like to reserve a spot for the fall semester, she said, must do so in the phase one. Students living in double-single rooms — double sized rooms for a single occupant — that want to keep those rooms should also renew.

In an effort to curtail overflow housing, only students who currently have double-single rooms will be able to reserve them next fall.

Ivey Lucas recommended that students reserve a space even if they are unsure of their plans for next year.

“It’s best to keep what you’ve got,” Ivey Lucas said. “If you are thinking about rushing or living off-campus, if you reserve your room now, at least you know you have something to fall back on. There is safety in that.”

If students reserve a spot but decide to live elsewhere, they can still cancel by June 1 with no financial penalty.

Ivey Lucas said RPS is excited to see the number of older students living in the residence halls grow through the years.

“We like freshman to interact with returning students,” Ivey Lucas said. “That’s why one of our goals is to retain students after their freshman year.”

The online housing renewal was first offered in 2007, and it prompted 2,361 returning students to request a room in the residence halls. For this fall semester the number was 3,419 renewal requests.

However, these growing numbers do potentially pose a problem for overflow housing in the next academic year.

“I am the first one to tell you that I am nervous about the increased occupancy,” Ivey Lucas said. “However, due to our additional capacity next fall, we will be able to accommodate the 2011-2012 student population without need for supplemental housing.”