Hampshire College

Initial room choosing starts when new students complete their housing preference forms and submit them to the housing office.  Over the summer, the Director of Housing Operations assigns students their first rooms.  The priority of assigning rooms is done by a random numbering of all housing preference forms submitted by June 1.  Students who request to live in doubles are usually granted this request, but many students will be placed in double rooms who requested singles.  Temporary housing is normally used each fall. 

Although off campus temporary housing was used one year, we attempt to use only on-campus lounges in our dormitories as temporary spaces.  As vacancies occur, students are moved out of these temporary rooms.  Students with critical needs are considered, as well as location of vacancies in proximity to the temporary room.  When vacancies occur in the fall, students must move out of their lounges.  Most of these moves happen within the first six weeks of the term, but it sometimes takes longer for all of our temporary lounges to be vacated.

If a student is unhappy with his/her housing assignment and has extraordinary circumstances causing anxiety or other stress, s/he should seek advice from his/her intern.  The intern is trained to help residents and knows when it is appropriate to advise students to seek help from the professional house staff.  Students will only be approved to move by their house directors when unusual circumstances are noted and other means to alleviate the problem have been unsuccessful.

Hampshire College's regular room choosing process consists of a campus wide lottery/auction held each spring.  In addition to five nights of lottery, there are other procedures which happen just prior to the lottery.

Off Campus Housing Process - When there is a bed shortage anticipated for the fall, the Director of Housing Operations will send out an invitation to a group (or groups) of students, inviting them to live off campus the upcoming academic year.  This is done systematically, by categories such as being final semester division III or being a certain age or having a specific number of lottery points.  A deadline prior to the enrollment notification deadline is given for students to respond to this invitation.  If our bed shortage is alleviated prior to the deadline, students will be given housing exemptions based solely on seniority.  If our bed shortage has not been remedied prior to the enrollment notification deadline, requests for off campus permission may continue to be accepted past mid-April and determined later, again by using seniority as well as timeliness as guidelines.

Identity Based Housing - By late March students who want to create a new identity based mod need to submit an application.  When the applicants meet the criteria, they may be assured a mod of the appropriate size.  The initial group of students must be committed to live in this new mod and will not be allowed to participate in any other part of the lottery.  A mod of the appropriatae size is reserved for this group at the lottery.  When already established identity-based mods are trying to fill for the academic year ahead, there is a deadline for students to apply to be input and a deadline for the "squatters" of the mod to choose their residents and have the mod completely filled prior to the lottery.  Failure to fill with appropriately designated students results in the mod going up for lottery.  Identity based mods are the only mods who get to "squat" in their mod and input new residents. 

Structurally Unique Housing - Prior to the lottery each spring, a deadline is set aside for students to apply to live in structurally unique housing.  Historically, these mods have included a kosher kitchen mod, the greenhouse mod, the mod of international students, and an allergen reduced mod.  Applying for residency in these mods and being placed in them prior to the lottery completes a student's housing for the upcoming year and s/he cannot participtae in the lottery.

Substance Free Housing - Many students apply to live in substance free housing on their original housing preference form prior to their arrival on campus.  We give others an opportunity to apply for this type of housing throughout the year, and prior to the lottery there is a deadline for applications.  At the lottery, several mods are set aside for groups of substance free students.  If there are groups, substance free mods will be filled.  If there are not groups, all mods will go into the regular lottery.

By the time of the lottery, it is expected that only students expecting to be fully enrolled and living on campus will be identified and eligible to participate.  Students who are going on leave, field study, exchange, graduating or withdrawing cannot take part in the lottery.  However, students who are returning from leave, exchange or field study will be expected to be housed through the lottery process.  Students who are granted off campus permission in April will not be eligible for the lottery, nor students who were input into our specially designated housing.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE ROOM THAT IS CHOSEN AT THE LOTTERY BY AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENT WILL BE THE ROOM THAT IS LIVED IN, BY THAT STUDENT, FOR THE ENTIRE ACADEMIC YEAR.  When circumstances prevent this from happening, and vacancies occur, the Director of Housing Operations will fill those vacancies with students returning from leave and entering students.  Students whose roommate vacates a spot in a double will be expected to find a new roommate or work with the housing office to find a suitable new roommate.  Only students with approval from their house director will be allowed to move between terms.

Other Room Choosing Procedures - Each year, between fall and spring, many students leave campus because their enrollment status changes.  The Director of Housing Operations fills all vacancies with students returning from leave and the incoming class.  Mod residents and returning students are encouraged to identify students or vacant rooms which would be good matches and submit requests to the Housing Operations Director.  Although seniority is considered, an attempt is made to match returning and new students with appropriate vacancies across campus.

The Director of Housing Operations, as well as House Directors, House Operations Assistants, and interns are here to help students have a positive and rewarding residential experience.  The department is overseen by the Associate Dean for Residential Life who is also available to address concerns when resolution is not made at the lower housing level.