Lines beginning at the Vermont Room in Alliot Hall, snaking down the stairs and ending at the bookstore can only mean one thing: housing selection. A computer-generated housing lottery could be the answer to housing woes.
Survey says
The plan for computerizing the room lottery is nothing new. St. Michael’s is continually making strides to modernize and make student lives more efficient.
“It’s been always thought of, every year” says Sheryl Fleury, housing coordinator and executive assistant of Student Affairs.
Early this semester, a survey regarding housing was sent out by the Student Association in coordination with Residence Life. The survey asked various questions about students’ living conditions including the room selection process. It asked whether students would be in favor of having the room lottery numbers assigned electronically, says Gary Levante, SA secretary of student life.
"It's the students decision; that's why we have the survey" |
-Sheryl Fleury |
Of the 1200 responses, 85 percent of students would like to see room lottery numbers go electronic, according to the survey.
“If everything was done electronically, it would make things a lot easier,” senior Eric Jackson says.
The overwhelming response in favor of change brought the issue to the forefront for Residence Life and the Student Association.
“It’s the students’ decision; that’s why we have the survey,” Fleury says.
In addition to the general housing survey, there was a second survey specifically asking if students would rather keep the current lottery number selection process or have it computerized. In total there were 150 responses. The majority of replies were eager to bring in a new way, while some were more comfortable with current procedures, Levante says.
The greatest response to the survey was from the sophomore and senior classes. The first-years counted as about 31 percent of the vote and the juniors had a low response because many were abroad, Levante says.
Breaking it down
The same process for choosing groups for course selection would be applied to the housing lottery. A list of student’s names from each class year would be assembled into a random list by the registrar’s office. After being randomized, each name would be assigned a number beginning at the top of the list with the lowest number for that class year. The students would be notified via e-mail and by letter in their mailboxes, Fleury says.
Students would show up on their class’ assigned day with their number and choose the room they wanted. Because the process has been used for the past few years for course selection, the Registrar is familiar with the program and it runs relatively smooth, Fleury says.
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If the room lottery goes electronic, students will still be physically choosing where they want to live like in past years.
(Photo by Cailey McDermott) |
Electronic lottery is a preliminary step in getting all of housing online using a similar program to KnightVision and the switch can be made as early as next semester, Fleury says.
“If the survey says students want computerized numbers than I’ll do it,” she says.
One concern Fleury has about switching to electronic would be taking the ownership off of the student. When a student draws a bad number, it’s theirs, which removes responsibility from all departments. When the computer chooses the number, it’s very easy for people to point fingers.
Levante shares Fleury’s concerns, but does not foresee any other drawbacks with the switch, he says.
Housing a click away
As a resident assistant, junior Beth Morgenthau has never experienced the housing process. She has worked housing lottery days and has witnessed students’ reactions to the procedure, ultimately favoring the switch to an electronic room lottery
“My friends get really frustrated by it...It’s very seldom students are excited about the number they draw,” Morgenthau says.
A desire for change was voiced at a SA meeting last year, which sparked discussion on the topic. Students expressed need for a way to improve the housing process, Levante says.
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Many colleges swipe their student I.D.s to get into buildings. Will this be the next step for St. Michael's?
(Photo by Cailey McDermott) |
“It seems ridiculous to wait in line for an hour when someone could just push a button and have it done,” sophomore Brittany Tullar says.
Both Tullar and Jackson describe the current housing process as a hassle and hectic. Tullar says the electronic option would be more efficient.
“I can care less, it’s random every single way,” Jackson says. “The paper thing is no more or less random than a computer would be…There’s no difference.”
Levante hopes the initiative alleviates stress that the housing process can cause.
“We are in the process of doing other improvements to the housing process which we will reveal a little later,” Levante says. “We’re in the long-term process of putting housing completely online.”
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