Residential Council has made a recommendation to the Office of Residential Life to broaden the guidelines for squatting, a practice that allows rising seniors to remain in their current living spaces for the coming year.
Currently, at least two-thirds of the room or suite's occupants must be rising seniors and declare intent to keep the space for the following year in order to squat. Under the new proposed guidelines, students can squat if at least half the students in the room or suite are rising seniors and the remainder of spaces in the suite are filled by rising seniors. ResLife is expected to approve the new policy, which would take effect next year.
ResCouncil is "easing up on their own policy ... which is great," said Richard Bova, senior associate dean of residential life. Although he said the new policy cannot be implemented this year because it wasn't proposed before Super Deadline Day on March 6 - the deadline for rising seniors to apply to squat - Bova said he will evaluate the new guidelines as soon as he receives a written proposal later this spring.
Bova said he expects to approve the change "in plenty of time" for it to take effect next spring. "I think it's an excellent idea, and I will investigate it fully with them," he said.
Students who live in a Greek or program house are ineligible to squat because those rooms are part of the house's internal lottery. Students are also barred from squatting in residence halls that are designated as special-interest or sophomore-only housing for the coming year.
Students approved to squat cannot enter the housing lottery and cannot store their belongings in their room during the summer.
ResCouncil Chair Justin Glavis-Bloom '07 said squatting policies can "limit the fairness of the lottery" since desired rooms "aren't up for grabs every year" if students are allowed to keep the same room for two years. But, he said, "if we can help people find rooms outside of the lottery, it makes it that much easier for everyone."
Glavis-Bloom said he thinks the new policy strikes "a balance between allowing people to squat ... and making sure people don't hang onto" popular rooms.
Housing Officer Chad Mank said ResLife has received requests from 14 juniors to squat for the upcoming year.
Evan Kalish '08, who plans to squat, said, "As (someone living in) a single, I absolutely loved the process" of squatting. He said the broader new policy "would be a shame if and only if it takes housing options away from people in the lottery" who are interested in living in such popular dorms as Barbour Hall and Young Orchard. If the new policy causes inconvenience for those still in the lottery, the new guidelines could be "a bit of a negative change," he said.
