The Department
of Housing and Residence Life released their Reapplication Proposal
for 2003-2004 Tuesday.
The proposal states students in Appalachian Heights and Winkler
Residence Hall are allowed to reclaim their rooms in groups of four
students.
The students do not have to be living in the same suite this year.
They will reclaim a space in the building, rather than a specific
room, Assistant Director for Housing and Residence Life Stacy Sears
said Tuesday.
The remaining spaces in Appalachian Heights and Winkler will be
filled by a lottery. Appalachian Heights will continue to be senior/junior
only, while students of any classification can apply for the Winkler
lottery.
Newland Residence Hall residents will not be able to reclaim their
rooms, Sears said. A separate lottery will be drawn for the available
spaces in Newland, with priority given to seniors and juniors.
Junior and seniors in traditional residence halls will be placed
into the lottery, from which 700 will be placed. After the current
freshmen class, an expected 1,750 students, is placed through the
reclaiming process, the remaining junior and seniors in the lottery
will fill any remaining openings.
Arrangements can be made for students with extenuating circumstances,
Sears said. Those cases are judged on a one-to-one basis, but common
reasons include financial trouble, internships or medical reasons.
“There has to be some flexibility [in housing students],”
Sears said.
Students with medical reasons must go through University Health
Services, said Phyllis J. Yates, assignment coordinator for the
Department of Housing and Residence Life, Tuesday.
Heather A. Howell, a junior elementary education major, is one of
many students caught in a dilemma. She said she planned to reclaim
her room in Lovill Residence Hall next year, with plans to stay
on campus for the rest of her time at Appalachian State University.
“It’s more convenient [to live on campus],” Howell
said Monday. “You feel more connected to the school; on-campus
support is there if you need it.”
Howell said she plans to apply for a lottery, but is preparing for
the possibility of being rejected.
If denied housing, she plans to commute from her parent’s home
in West Jefferson, which is 26 miles from Boone.
“I’d rather be at home, safe, than next to a group of
students into partying at night, which may happen off campus,”
Howell said.
Letters detailing the proposal will be mailed to students at their
permanent addresses, Sears said.
Sears will also hold informational meetings in every residence hall
during the month of January, explaining the reapplication process
in detail in preparation for the actual reclaiming process during
February.
The department has been looking at issues concerning the reapplication
process since last spring, Sears said.
“We knew it would need to change,” Yates said. |
