A Winston-Salem State student’s classification or grade point average will no longer determine if and where a student will reside on campus.
The Enrollment Management Committee decided a lottery is the best option for the housing process, which will go into effect for the 2009-2010 academic school year.
In addition to signing up for 12 credit hours, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to be eligible for the lottery.
Another change from last year is the $135 housing fee. It will now be deducted from each student’s housing account.
Linda Inman, director of housing and residence life, said WSSU decided to follow a path of what other universities are doing to ensure each student has an opportunity to receive housing.
North Carolina A&T and Howard University both use the lottery process to assign student housing.
“We looked at other housing processes at other universities and met with a focus group comprised of about 25 WSSU students to come up with the best solution to ensure the housing process is done in a fair way,” Inman said.
The University has 2,377 beds on campus with more than 6,400 full and part-time students enrolled.
New freshman will have 1,100 slots and continuing students will have the remaining 1,277 slots.
Members of SGA, band, scholars and athletes are in a separate category called the special groups. In this group, it is comprised of 573 slots reserved for the special group.
The remaining 523 slots are reserved for the other continuing students.
The lottery will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will start on April 14 and will consist of all eligible continuing students applying to see if they can receive a lottery number between one and 1,277.
For students who receive a number, the second phase will begin on April 25. From there, they are given the opportunity to select their housing during a specific window of time.
Roommate selection is based on whether both students are given a number in the first phase. Students who get a number after 1,277 will be placed on the waiting list.
These students will have an opportunity to receive housing when slots become available.
Students at the Feb. 9 student senate meeting expressed concerns about their housing assignments.
Courtney Liferidge, a sophomore from Boston , majoring in Psychology, said she understands the reason behind the new lottery process, but is worried.
“I am an out-of-state student without a car, so if I do not get housing, on top of trying to figure out how to pay tuition, I will have to find an apartment and most importantly buy a car to ensure I have transportation to campus for class,” said Liferidge.
Student Body President Harold Respass tried to calm students’ fears concerning housing.
“I realize where you are coming from, but please try to understand that housing is not guaranteed and the lottery will be the best way to give everyone an equal opportunity to obtain housing,” Respass said.
Langdon Hawkins, a freshman from Chapel Hill , majoring in Chemistry, said that although he is a NC resident, this new housing lottery poses major issues for him.
“I am a freshman without a job or a car so if I am not one of the lucky ones to receive housing, my sophomore year will be a lot harder for me as I try to figure out how I am going to get to campus and pay my bills,” Hawkins said.
Respass said although the SGA does not support this decision, they will keep students informed and will be taking feedback.
The SGA, and the University are exploring options to make the lottery process as smooth and painless as possible.
“If any students have trouble with the tutorials or any other part of the process, they should let a member of SGA know so that the issues can be resolved,” Respass said.