As many students begin thinking about applying for off-campus housing, they can take comfort in the knowledge that they'll no longer have to trudge to Wayland House to watch a mandatory video. Students seeking University approval to live off campus can now do so from the comfort of their dorm rooms, and most say it has made the process simpler.
Residential Life abandoned its paper-based system in favor of an online system in 2005.
"The old system required students to come into the office, pick up a form, complete the form and then we had to file it," said Richard Bova, senior associate dean for residential life. "The new, automated system allows students to complete the form wherever and whenever they want."
Ann Kidder '08, who applied for permission to live off campus starting last semester, was part of the first group of students to fill out an online application for permission, available at ResLife's Web site at http://reslife.brown.edu.
"It was really easy," Kidder said of the online approval process. "I was approved seconds after I filled out the form."
Kevin Burns '08 said he had a similarly positive experience with the online system.
"There were some forms with all the information we had to read and fill out," he said. "It was very convenient."
Aside from the ease of the paperless process, a notable difference between the old system and the online system is the PowerPoint presentation displayed on the Web site, which replaced a video students had been required to watch at the ResLife office.
Though the new presentation conveys the same information as the old one - how to be a good neighbor, how to keep track of rent and other responsibilities - there seems to be a greater risk of students passing over and ignoring the information in the new presentation than had been the case before.
Bova said the online application cannot be submitted until all slides of the PowerPoint presentation have been seen by the applicant. But some students may click through the slides without reading the information on them.
Kidder and Burns both said they did not pay close attention to the online presentation, which they felt presented information they already knew.
"I read it, but not so thoroughly," Kidder said, while Burns said that he "glanced at" the presentation.
"A lot of the things that were on the presentation should have been obvious to anyone thinking of living off campus," Kidder said. "It was more like a checklist of things I had already done, instead of a list of things to do."
Elizabeth Fison '07, who filed for permission using the paper-based system, said not much has changed in that respect.
"I felt like I knew what I was doing already and that I didn't need more information," Fison said, adding that she recalled signing up for a time slot to watch the video but never actually made the appointment.
"I kept meaning to watch the video," she said. "But it wasn't enforced."
Paul Baier '08 did watch the video, but he echoed the sentiments of Kidder, Burns and Fison.
"It didn't do much for me," Baier said. "I don't know anybody who wouldn't already know that stuff."
But Bova cautioned against ignoring the PowerPoint presentation, which he said provides critical information to students thinking about living off campus.
"It has great information about being a good neighbor, some policies and most definitely safety and security," he said. "I think it would be very irresponsible of any student to keep clicking."
The new process is easier for administrators as well as students, 1,484 of whom applied for off-campus permission last year, according to Bova.
"I think it's great that they've gone electronic," Fison said. "Online would have been a lot easier."
Bova said feedback from students on the new system has been nothing but encouraging.
"We received about 10 e-mails," he said. "All were very positive."
