Annual housing selection sparks student debate

With spring semester comes housing registration, a process that brings mixed emotions for students at the St. Ben’s. CSB students cite a lack of communication as a major factor in their dissatisfaction with the housing department and selection process. Attina Notch has served as director of CSB Residential Life since spring of 2020. Notch and the residential life team are responsible for coordinating housing for more than 1,000 students each year, and the selection process takes typically weeks, while accounting for four grade cohorts and special accommodations.

Notch is aware of the frustration and stress that housing selection brings to many students and notes that it can get contentious. With the influx of emails coming to the housing office at this point in the semester, it can also be difficult to respond to emails in a timely manner. She also acknowledged that every year students find the housing process confusing due to requiring multiple steps.

“We do try every year to incorporate student feedback and identify other ways in which we can communicate better,” Notch said. “We’re always changing and evolving to best communicate with students; sometimes the strategies hit, and sometimes they don’t.”

This year, for example, study abroad students received more comprehensive information on housing.

Notch also spoke on the availability of certain housing options such as two-person apartments. In the past, there was an option for two-person apartment selection for students, but after housing accommodations were fulfilled, few apartments were available.

“Most of our spaces aren’t designed to be two-person or single spaces. Now, if there are any available after accommodations, they are filled through preselection,” Notch said.

All students who have completed their housing agreement and intent form are eligible for preselection.

CSB upperclassmen also raise concerns about the local, off-campus living process. Some seniors end up paying for both on campus housing and off campus housing. Due to the high demand for off-campus houses, students sign on to leases before knowing if they will be granted release from campus.

Notch stated that local living arose as a solution for housing in the past when there were more students than there were spaces on campus. In the past few years, the number of students has been within on-campus housing limits, making this solution no longer necessary in the housing process. Furthermore, St. Ben’s was designed with community living in mind, and this remains a core value of the institution.

When considering students for local living, residential life considers enrollment status, the number of students abroad, how many students are using accommodations for housing and how they can utilize living spaces on campus, such as offering more two-person spaces.

Several students are paying for both on-campus and off-campus housing, which not only is a financial burden for these students, but also creates spaces on campus that are vacant yet cannot be assigned to other students. Some appeals by students living off campus to have their room charges eliminated have not been granted.

Despite information available on the housing website, many students still raise concerns about the housing selection process. A poll created on the popular app Yik Yak asked about the housing experience of CSB students. Yik Yak is a social media app that combines GPS and instant messaging technologies to allow users to share anonymous messages with others in a 10-mile radius.

Two hundred eleven users participated in the poll, with 55% rating CSB housing as very poor and only 15% rating it acceptable. Many commenters report that their emails to Residential Life go unanswered for days, despite multiple attempts to contact housing—this lack of response turns into panic for timely questions such as how to file for accommodations or when housing selection times are. Others indicate that even when responses are received, they don’t directly answer the questions being asked.

Some students have encountered incorrect or missing information in emails from housing and on the housing portal. Selection times have been sent out and later changed or completely missing. Other students have received selection times and logged into the Housing Portal only to find that they cannot access it at the time they were given.

CSB sophomore Sophie Heck said she had a negative experience with housing this spring when transitioning from dorm to apartment living. Heck filed an appeal to discuss her housing situation and has not received a response for nearly two weeks, despite being told that it would take 1-2 business days. In addition to her fall plans being up in the air, she does not have information about her on-campus housing for this summer, information that she was told would be made available this past week.

Heck also said that she believes accommodations should be considered differently. She said that there are students who struggle to get their accommodations met while others take advantage of the system to receive better housing.

“I am stressed about where I am going to live and who I am going to be living with because I have no clue what my living situation will be, which also puts my potential roommate into a stressful situation,” Heck said. “If she doesn’t get back to me, I guess I just don’t meet with her. I feel like they are not working with me.”