Housing lottery results leave some rejoicing, others scrambling

Winston-Salem State students got their first taste of the new housing lottery when the results were released on April 21.

In an e-mail sent from Theo Howard, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, students were alerted that the housing process had been completed successfully.

According to the e-mail, 2,800 students were eligible to apply for housing, 1,260 of which actually applied.

Students who applied for housing were instructed to check their WSSU e-mails to receive their assigned number.

Students numbered one through 750 were awarded housing slots. The remaining students were put on the waiting list, based on the number that they were assigned. Those students awarded a slot participated a building/room selection process designated by time slots on April 25.

As with any lottery, there were winners and losers.

Jasmine Lawrence, a freshman exercise science major from Washington D.C., was one of the winners. Her number came in at 499. She said she was relieved.

"I'm very happy," she said. "I was trying to think about what I was going to do next year, if i didn't get [campus] housing."

Lawrence said that if she had not been awarded her slot, her options would have been limited to either transferring or getting her own place.

"The only thing i could think of other than leaving WSSU was to get an apartment," she said.

Eric Bailey, a freshman accounting major from Charlotte, was not so lucky. After receiving a $500 scholarship from Black Men For Change, the Brown Hall resident found out that he's a long-shot to get on-campus housing. Bailey received slot number 1,096, meaning approximately 350 people are on the waiting list in front of him.

"Right now, I'm just going to wait until May 12 to see who all drops out of the housing process," Bailey said. "Hopefully, a spot opens up for me."

Bailey said if he can't get a spot on-campus he would either stay in a hotel or seek housing off campus, although he says that is the least desirable option.

"I have a twin sister at UNC," he said.

"And it's going to be even more of a burden on my parents if I move off campus."