Room Selection Distresses Students: “This is Completely Outrageous”

Since the room selection process began at the University of New Haven, students on social media have been speculating that some juniors and seniors may end up displaced next semester.

In the Class of 2022 Facebook group, students began questioning the room selection process after sophomore criminal justice and national security major Sofia Salazar shared a post, originally on the Class of 2021 group page, that said that it appeared that all housing was taken.

In the comment section, Salazar wrote, “Considering the guaranteed housing policy, this is completely outrageous.”

Sophomore forensic chemistry major Jordan Robinson said that she paid a $500 housing deposit to find out that there’s not enough room for students in the university’s housing. Robinson said that she “along with other students, currently do not have housing for next year.”

According to Salazar, the current room selection process involves the Office of Residential Life (ORL) sending eligible students a randomized room selection number, which sets the order and time at which students can choose their housing preferences.

“Three out of the four people in my roommate group (including me) had a number of at least 700, ” wrote sophomore communications major Harrison Crawford in a reply to the Facebook post, “if there really are only 688 beds, that means three of us would have literally no chance of getting a bed, which is already a problem.”

Another part of the problem is the fact that the university is taking in more students than they can house, according to junior forensic science major Morgan Crumrine.

“The University would love to accept larger class sizes, and I do not blame them for that, but they did not prepare for the number of people to hold in the dorms,” said Crumrine, “I do not think they evaluated their number of student to bed ratio correctly.”

“There are a few solutions,” said Crawford, “but really, the main problem is that the university is accepting more students than it has room for. This can be solved by simply not accepting as many students every year until we have enough room for all of them.”

Associate Dean for Residential Life and Housing Nicole McGrath said that every concern eligible students have voiced regarding university housing has been tended to in the past.

“The room selection process is the first phase of the housing assignment process for returning students,” said McGrath, “We will continue to work closely with eligible students to ensure they have university housing for the 2020-21 academic year.”

Crumrine, however, says that she has “received an email saying that they would be assisted, but the students without housing have not been assisted yet.” She continued, “I know they are still figuring this out, but they have not hinted at how they will fix this issue.”

McGrath said that ORL anticipates that they will be able to assist all eligible students who are seeking university housing and said, “multiple communications have been sent to confirm room reservations, and to outline our ongoing housing assignment process and the room change request process.”

According to multiple students in the Facebook group, ORL has slowly begun to reach out to them saying that those who became eligible for housing after March 6 “will be accommodated” and that they have “historically” been able to assist every student that has applied for university housing.