Housing process stressful

Sara Mettlen
Staff Writer
April 29, 2004, Page 3

The little pink piece of paper looks harmless enough, but it holds a great amount of power.
The housing process can be a smooth transition into new living quarters or a trail of tears and paperwork leading you right back to where you started.
"It [the housing process] is a little more stressful than what I thought it would be," freshman Kristen Welch said.
Welch said that some aspects of the process, particularly the points system and applying for Hansen Hall, were confusing.
Junior Sarah Newton said students views of the housing process depends on where they are trying to live and if they know who their roommates are going to be.
Newton said that the worst part of the process is not getting in where you apply, whether that be not getting a suite in Hansen or not getting a particular room in Frees that you wanted.
Most agree that working with other students to form groups for suites and quads is the most frustrating part of the process.
Sophomore Derick Smith agrees that finding a roommate is stressful, but thinks needing a backup plan if your first choice does not work out only adds to the difficulty of the process.
"It's a tedious process that just has to be done," Smith said.
Kristina Pajeda, Resident Director of Sheldon Hall, coordinated housing for the first time this year. She said one major difference was that everyone had to be pre-registered for next year before they could go through housing. This pushed the date for housing back a few weeks.
"There has been some competition, but no problems," Pajeda said. She stressed that housing is not supposed to be a hassle, and the Residence Life staff is willing to listen to students who want to voice their concerns.
"Students need to, if they feel there are problems or better ways to do things, let us [the Residence Life staff] know because we're up for suggestions," Pajeda said.
Pajeda said that a common mistake made by students on housing forms this year was problems with alternates. Students can only be alternates for one group and to be an alternate your housing preference must be traditional housing.
Although every year is different, and there is no way to predict what people will want from one year to the next, Pajeda said the staff tries to make the process as easy and hassle-free as possible.