Returning Students Housing

The Lottery

If you registered for housing selection on time, you should have received a personal Housing Selection Memo email with your lottery number, and you will need to print and keep this email. If you did not receive this email, and believe there is an error, please contact Marianne Luther.

The lottery number, which was created by a random number generator, determines the order in which you will select a room. The first digit of the number indicates selection grouping (senior = 1000, junior = 2000, sophomore = 3000). 1000 will select before 1001, etc. Because men and women do not select from the same set of rooms (except for East Village), there is a set of numbers for men’s selection and another set for women. In other words, if you are a man with the lottery number 1053, most likely there is also a woman with the same number.

Room selection will take place in the Frazier-Jelke Lobby during March 26 and 27 and April 2 and 3. . If you are not required to live on campus, and your housing registration was not completed online by February 10, you will not receive a lottery number, but will be able to select any available housing after April 4. If there are no spaces remaining, your name will be placed on a housing waiting list. If you are a rising sophomore, and your housing registration was not completed online by February 10, you will not receive a lottery number, but you may come to housing selection with your intended roommate(s) (during his or her designated time).

Roommates and Room Selection

To prepare for room selection, choose your roommate(s) for next year and several room preferences. No room will be under-booked, i.e. four students must sign up for East Village, two students must request a double, etc. For the residence halls, roommates should determine their best lottery number and arrive to F-J at the time listed for that number. Please bring the Housing Selection Memo with you. Read ahead for selection times. A student other than you and your roommate(s) may not use your lottery number. It is also to your advantage to be on time for room selection; it is not necessary for you to arrive early to select housing. Floor plans will be posted in the F-J lobby and updated as rooms are selected. You will sign a housing contract when you arrive to select a room. No room changes will be made prior to June 15, 2008.

Need a Roommate? If you need a roommate, sign the list in the Residence Life Office by Friday March 21. You may also go on line to Rhodes Connect and communicate via the Need a Roommate Forum. https://connect.rhodes.edu/tiki/tiki-index.php The Residence Life Office staff will communicate the names to all students who signed the list. We provide this as a service to students who may be seeking a roommate for next year. If you are unable to secure a roommate prior to selection for a double room, come to housing selection at your assigned time. The first individual student who arrives at housing will select a room, the subsequent student will be assigned with that student, etc.

Proxy Assignment - If you registered for housing, but will be unable to attend housing selection, you may send a proxy. Complete the proxy statement on your Housing Selection Form, and give your form to the person who will select housing for you.

Disability Accommodation Request - Any student with a disability that may necessitate a special housing accommodation should contact Melissa McGowen at (901) 843-3994. Requests for accommodation should be made by March 1, 2008, to ensure availability.

Room Availabilities - A list of room occupancies and floor plans are on the Residence Life website. At this point, rooms available are consistent with this year’s gender balance. It is difficult to predict the number of students who cancel lottery numbers prior to selection. Therefore, the gender of a wing/floor might change before March 26. The list of availabilities is carefully created in order to minimize the last-minute shifting of space.

Theme housing options

Townhouse Availability

Four Spann Townhouses are available for students. Each townhouse has a kitchen, furnished living/dining area, two bathrooms, and three double bedrooms, housing a total of six students. The costs for townhouse living are the same as the costs for a double room elsewhere on campus. Students who live in a townhouse have the option of two meal plans – 15 meals per week and 21 meals per week.

Interested in living in a townhouse with five other friends? Each person in your group of six must send an email to simmonsr@rhodes.edu, confirming your interest in a townhouse. These notes of interest must be received by March 14, 2008. Previous violations of policy may be reviewed for applicants. After conduct records are considered, the four groups of six with the highest lottery number (using the East Village grouping process) will receive the four townhouses. Groups will be notified on March 21.

Housing Selection Etiquette

As you go through housing selection, be considerate of others with regard to your housing choices. Please be an honest participant in the process. The Residence Life Office, Social Regulations Council, and/or Honor Council will investigate allegations of dishonest or unethical behavior.

If you are unsure if your plan is ethical or not, ask!
Go through housing selection with the person with whom you intend to live. Do not "use" another roommate with a higher lottery number who will later move out.
Make arrangements to live off campus if that is your intention. Do not sign up for a room to help a friend with a rooming situation.
Use your own lottery number. Use of someone else′s number will result in an Honor Council referral.
Allegations of dishonest or unethical behavior will be investigated by the Residence Life or the appropriate judicial council.

Housing Cancellation Policy

By contacting Marianne Luther, Director of Residence Life, a student may cancel the registration or housing assignment. If a student cancels by 5 p.m. on March 21, 2008 the student will incur no cancellation fee. If a student cancels between March 22 and May 15, a cancellation fee of $200 will be placed on the student’s account. Students who cancel between May 16 and June 30 will incur a $300 cancellation fee. After June 30, the cancellation fee is $500. If a student registers for housing, and then decides to participate in a study abroad program next fall, the registration will be deferred to the spring semester, and no fee will be incurred. If a student registers for housing, and is subsequently released form the residency requirement, the registration will be cancelled without penalty. If a student registers for housing and subsequently withdraws or transfers the student will be held to the housing cancellation policy.

In the case that a roommate withdraws from housing, a student may be assigned to the open space, or the remaining student may be asked to move to another under-booked room.

Students on the waiting list may receive a full refund unless they accept a housing assignment; at which point, they are subject to the general refund policy stated above

Proxy Assignment

If you have registered for housing, but will be unable to attend housing selection, you may send a proxy. Complete the proxy statement on your Housing Selection Form, and give your form to the person who will select housing for you.

If you have questions please call the Residence Life Office at 843-3241 or send an email to Marianne Luther, Director of Residence Life, at lutherm@rhodes.edu.

Housing Demand

The College requires incoming first-year students and rising sophomores to live on campus. From the housing registration numbers, overall demand for campus housing is higher than it was last year. It is expected that some students will cancel their registration prior to housing selection. However, if at housing selection, demand is still greater than capacity, some rising juniors will be placed on a waiting list (in lottery number order) for housing so that we can accommodate rising sophomores and incoming first year students. If a waiting list is needed, it will be a short list. As spaces open during the spring and summer, students will be contacted in waiting list order. If a student is on the waiting list, the cancellation fee policy will be in effect when the student accepts a housing assignment. An update will be emailed to rising juniors on March 28 (the day after East Village selection – EV selection will proceed as normal).

Consolidation

To control room and board costs for residents, the College’s goal is to open the halls in August at 100% occupancy. Given the demand from returning students and our admissions goal, it is expected that residence halls will be full this fall. On average, 83% of returning students who register for housing selection actually move into the halls in August. A few students transfer, and others choose to live off campus or study abroad during the fall semester. The Residence Life Office reserves some rooms for incoming students, but cancellations from returning students are expected. These cancellations provide the remainder of rooms for first year students.

If your roommate cancels a housing assignment, you will be required to consolidate in order for the College to meet housing goals for first year students. In this situation, you will be contacted by email and phone. With your cooperation, the College will assist you to create a roommate/room situation with which you will be comfortable. Unfortunately, if you do not respond to messages, a consolidation may be made. An early cancellation in the spring/summer creates more options for the remaining roommate. Please contact Marianne Luther with questions about consolidation.

If you have questions please call the Residence Life Office at 901-843-3241 or Marianne Luther at lutherm@rhodes.edu