Some students have recently been awarded off-campus permission for the academic year 2011–12.
Out of the 410 rising juniors who applied, 242 have been granted off-campus permission, said Senior Associate Dean of Residential and Dining Services Richard Bova.
Around the same time last year, only about 125–150 rising juniors had been granted permission, Bova said.
But the increase in the number of rising juniors granted off-campus permission does not necessarily mean that more juniors will end up living off campus next year than in previous years. Rather, the rise in number at this point in the year is the result of a change in Office of Residential Life policy.
Residential Council, a body of students that makes recommendations to ResLife, proposed a change to grant more rising juniors off-campus permission in advance in order to give students more time to make housing arrangements. In the past, fewer rising juniors were granted off-campus permission in the fall, and a large group, placed on a waitlist, were given off-campus permission on a rolling basis throughout the year.
"We decided to move them out as quickly as possible, and sit and rest, and wait for refinement of the enrollment number," Bova said. "So any junior on the wait list will not be released until April."
In April, when more accurate enrollment numbers for the following academic year become available, ResLife will be able to calculate how many rising juniors to release off the waiting list, based on the number of students the University can house in dorms.
"We wanted to prevent students who were constantly in an anxious state," said Natalie Basil, ResLife associate director. "We made this change so that students could have a better conversation with off-campus agencies and landlords."
"We can't always standardize because the number of seniors who apply fluctuates," Basil said. ResLife was able to enact this change this year because the University has moved into a more stable enrollment pattern. "This year, we took a three-year average and made a best guess," Basil said.
On average, 1,345 students lived off campus each of the past two years, Bova said. This number includes not only juniors and seniors, but also any commuting, married and Resumed Undergraduate Education students.
As the 242 students in the initial group make up their minds about living arrangements and the enrollment number is finalized, the 168 rising juniors still on the waitlist will be informed in April of their off-campus permission status.
The application process for rising juniors is closed, but rising seniors can apply through Dec. 15.
