Explaining 2022-2023 housing selection
In response to student concerns, campus leaders discuss why housing availability was limited
Many students are expressing dissatisfaction with the housing selection process.
March 30, 2022
Housing selection for the 2022-2023 academic year began on March 21 and ended on March 24.
Many students expressed frustration at the seeming lack of options available during selection as housing options for the next academic year are less than this year.
“Over the past few days, we’ve heard about the stress and concerns in regards to the housing selection,” junior Drew Skilton, co-chair of the Physical Planning Committee of Student Government, said. “Most [of the concerns are] in regards to availability of North Campus housing for the junior class. As a result of more senior students opting into university housing, less options were available in dorms like Polo, North Campus Apartments and Student Apartments for the junior class and below.”
All four-person apartments in Deacon Place and Polo Residence Hall were claimed within the first day of housing selection. The next day, all rooms in Student Apartments, North Campus Apartments, Dogwood and Magnolia were claimed.
“Housing capacity next year is slightly less than it was this year,” Zachary Blackmon, associate director of operations for Residence Life and Housing, said.
Next year, housing capacity will accommodate around 4,125 students, as compared to the 4,150 students housed in the 2021-2022 academic year. Blackmon cited several reasons why housing capacity is slightly smaller this year.
“We have seen a larger number of seniors choose to seek off-campus housing than they had in the past,” Blackmon said. “We also will not have Deacon Station — which had been used for quarantine and isolation — next year; as such, we have held Student Apartments B offline while the university continues to navigate what quarantine and isolation needs might be for the Fall 2022 semester.”
Additionally, the number of students studying abroad was expected to return to pre-pandemic levels.
“What students experienced during housing selection for the 2022-2023 academic year may feel like a departure from the last two years but in many ways reflects a return to pre-pandemic housing,” Blackmon said.
