Almost a month after the earliest round of room draw, the final draw group of six sophomores logged on the room draw website and completed the Housing Department's first-ever online room draw with a click of the submit button on their laptops.
After decades of "chaotic" in-person room draw, as Housing Department director Andrew Kane called it in an interview, the online system consolidated the process of room selection, which started March 28.
"Room draw was a success by all the measures we might use," Kane wrote in a press release. The new system worked smoothly, and the University was satisfied with "the level of interest in the four-year college program," he added.
In anticipation of the problems students could have encountered while trying to draw online, the Housing Department had extra staff on hand to answer calls. The department also set up computers in its MacMillan Building offices where students could go through the process with the help of housing officials.
Undergraduate Housing Manager Angela Hodgeman said that "only a handful of students" went to MacMillan to draw.
Hodgeman and Kane both said they have received only positive feedback about the online system from undergraduates. Hodgeman added that she spoke with a student who completed room draw while abroad who was glad to be able to participate without having to assign a proxy, as was necessary for in-person draw.
While general upperclass housing remained the most popular option among rising juniors and seniors, 210 upperclassmen drew into Spelman Halls, and nearly 300 of them chose to live in the residential colleges.
"Having a solid residential base of juniors and seniors in the two new four-year colleges provides the anchor for the four-year community we are trying to build," Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel said in a statement.
In all, about 300 upperclassmen drew rooms in Mathey and Whitman Colleges, following a yearlong campaign to convince students to draw into the colleges as upperclassmen.
"Changing the dynamic of residential life on a campus always carries some unknowns," Executive Vice President Mark Burstein said in the same statement. "But students have taken full advantage of the new options, demonstrated by the number of students represented among all the different options during room draw."
Of the 500 students who will be living in Whitman this fall, 200 are upperclassmen. The Whitman draw, which took place March 28 through April 5, filled the upperclassman capacity expected for the college.
Mathey's upperclass draw was only slightly less successful, filling all but six of the 100 spots reserved for upperclassmen.
The remaining spots will be given to returning students who have been studying abroad or were on leave, Hodgeman said.
Laura Johnson '09 and her roommate Shannon Clair '09 chose to draw into the same Mathey room that they live in this year.
"For me, Mathey has been an amazing community," Johnson said. "I love the people here, the amazing opportunities like tickets to Broadway shows, the support and the college staff."
Read More
Joseph ’25 next Young Alumni Trustee in 21 percent turnout election
Vitus LarrieuGil Joseph ’25 won the Young Alumni Trustee election, which saw 21 percent turnout. Joseph, Stephen Padlo ’25 and Ben Wachspress ’25 competed in the final round of elections after advancing from a notably large primary in April.
Gil Joseph ’25 won the Young Alumni Trustee election, which saw 21 percent turnout. Joseph, Stephen Padlo ’25 and Ben Wachspress ’25 competed in the final round of elections after advancing from a notably large primary in April.
‘A brilliant young contemporary writer and a beautiful human being’: Remembering Lauren Blackburn ’26
Victoria Davies and Caitlyn TabladaBlackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
Blackburn was found deceased by authorities on April 25, several days after he was reported missing. He was 23 years old at the time of his death and is remembered by friends and mentors as a brilliant writer, voracious learner, and loving friend. A family obituary said he passed away after a “courageous battle with bipolar disorder.”
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.