Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Sensible Selection Changes

The summertime sprint for rising seniors to secure a lease off campus is likely the most stressful time in Georgetown housing, but the October deadline for rising upperclassmen to determine on-campus housing is a close second. This year, however, students wishing to live on campus next fall can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Under the new format, sophomores and juniors will be able to apply for housing eligibility in October, but won’t be obligated to select their housing — or roommates — until the spring. This new policy is a welcome improvement, serving as an effective step toward ensuring that students remain satisfied with their living situations by the start of the next school year.

Determining eligibility as early as October leaves enough time for seniors who may not receive it to secure housing off campus. Pushing selection to the spring gives students who will be living on campus more time to determine with whom they would like to live, which residences they would prefer and whether they plan to spend a semester abroad.

This adjustment exemplifies how a seemingly minor policy change can result in a tangible improvement to a process that is important to almost every undergraduate. It will serve to minimize roommate disputes and residence changes, as well as remove the considerable pressure of having to prematurely decide — almost 10 months in advance — where and with whom one would like to live.

The change was pushed through in a joint effort by the administration, the InterHall Council and Georgetown University Student Association representatives after a campus-wide survey of student preferences. We hope this method will be employed recurrently to address kinks in the system — the discrepancy in selection points awarded to those who study abroad in the spring versus the fall, for instance — and to explore other housing options, such as allowing groups of varied sizes to choose dorm rooms together. In such cases, a small change can go a long way.

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