The Globe

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Kelly Cline Floors 18 through 20 in Lawrence Hall will have spots saved for returning students.

This year, the housing selection process for Point Park University students began on April 7, however unlike other years, this year seemed to cause more concern among the freshmen and more inconvenience.

On average, 52 percent of students stay on campus. This year, the number jumped to 60 percent with 460 students turning in a contract.

All returning students received an e-mail from Campus Life that students wishing to live on campus in the fall needed to turn in their housing contracts. After March 20, the deadline to turn them in, the contracts were reviewed and put into a credit-earned database. Based on credits earned, students were put into a lottery to determine the time assigned.

"Anyone with 90 credits and above picked on the first day, 60-89 on the second day, 30-59 on the third day and 29 and below on the last day," John Mayo, community director in the office of Campus Life, said.

In an attempt to make the transition from living at home to college easier, Lawrence and Thayer Halls were going to be designated for freshmen only.

"I had heard that they were trying to make it so that only freshmen could live in Lawrence and Thayer," Ash Stegman, a sophomore sport, arts and entertainment management major, said.

However, there were 416 students eligible to select a room and the apartments, Conestoga and Pioneer only have 350 available beds.

"We knew that there would have to be some students living in Lawrence. Floors 20, 19 and 18 would be used if need be," Mayo said.

There are a total of 55 students living in Lawrence next year. Of the 55, there are seven students with 90 credits and above and ten with 60-89 credits; the remaining are freshmen.

Many of the freshmen that were to choose on the last day of room selection became upset when they walked into the Pioneer basement only to find that they could not room with their friends.

Rachel Nunes, a print journalism major, was one of those freshmen. However, she grasped the situation and began getting her message out.

"When I walked into Pioneer, it was a free-for-all. When I got called there were only two single spots available in Conestoga. I ended up rooming with girls I did not know instead of who I wanted to. I thought the point of having a group of people you wanted to room with was to be rational and easier," Nunes said.

Continued...

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