Emily Timmerman
It’s that time of year again, when all of the underclassmen receive the randomly assigned number that ultimately determines the housing fate of the next academic year: the room selection lottery number.
The day the numbers are put in our mailboxes, people anxiously fumble with the dials, excited and hopeful that a good number will be waiting, and that their dreams of a room in the air-conditioned suites of Gault Manor will be theirs. For many, the fall from any hope of this housing dream ends with the very real fear of having no other choice than Bissman basement or the Holden Annex. The difference between those scenarios is the difference between ending up on the same hall as friends, in the multi-level suites, or the rooms that were definitely meant to only ever be storage closets, relies solely on the randomly assigned number given to you.
Many students have expressed frustration with the fact that these numbers are random, and not based on GPA or credit-standings. However, when room selection numbers were done based on this criterion, there were specific majors that typically pulled out ahead in credits, simply by nature of their departmental demands. Music majors, for example, are notorious for racking up credits in excess because of the lessons that they are required to take in addition to the standard course load. Therefore, they would most likely get room choice over, say, a Sociology major, because of varying departmental requirements. Ultimately, this discrepancy made it unfair to compare credits between differing departments, and yet that was what was being done. The move to random assignment only helped to eliminate this inconsistency.
Room number assignment by GPA makes more sense, and could be a productive motivational reward-system, but this method would fail to recognize the lacunas of GPA, in that it is not fully representative. It is well known that GPAs only stand for a fraction of what it means to be a good student on campus. We all know that student who doesn’t go to class or ever do the readings, and yet somehow pulls A’s on all of the assignments. Does that ability to perform well on tests justify them getting a better room than someone who is more engaged and involved student, but maybe not as competent at delivering on assessments?
Ultimately, there is no easy answer to the rooming selection process on a college campus. There is never going to be a time when everyone gets the room that they want, or even the building that they want, and there are always going to be those few students that end up in some small corner in some basement.
Yet the spaces that are not as popular this year in the dorms could be the best halls next semester, and vice versa, so make your dorm room wish list now, start planning for your next home-away-from-home, and get ready for the imminent chaos that will be room selection.