UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 19, Page 2
February 10, 1994
Housing registration scheduled through Feb. 25

     Upperclass students may sign up for housing and dining options for the
Fall Semester now through Feb. 25.
     Resident students may submit housing deposits and applications through
Campus Mail. After applications for housing have been received,
personalized preference forms are sent to all students to allow them to
request specific hall types, room types, location or roommates or to
specify preferred roommate characteristics.
     A student wishing a residence hall room anywhere on campus may apply
through the residence hall assignment process. Those wishing an on-campus
apartment may apply through the Christiana apartment assignment process.
     For the past several years, the University has been working to make
the most popular types of housing more available to upperclass students,
expanding services and programs, minimizing rate increases and improving
facilities, according to Margaret Passero, associate director of housing
and residence life.
     At a time when colleges and universities across the country are
experiencing severe drops in the number of students living in residence
halls, an increasing number of U.D. resident students are choosing to stay
on campus, she said.
     The University has expanded the number of coed and upperclass
residence halls. Last year, four, formerly all-female South Central halls
(Smyth, New Castle, Squire, and Sussex) were converted to coed housing.
Harrington and Gilbert on East Campus, previously assigned to freshmen and
upperclass students, were reserved for upperclass students. Nearly all
students who requested to live on East Campus were assigned there.
     This year, in response to student demand, even more upperclass halls
will be offered. These include Gilbert and Harrington halls on East Campus,
most of South Central Campus, all of North Central Campus, half of the
Pencader complex, and the Christiana Towers.
     Some halls will remain mixed-class halls, such as Rodney A-F on West
Campus, Sussex and Kent on South Central Campus, half of Pencader and all
of the Ray Street halls. Still other buildings will be designated or
continue as all-freshman halls, such as Smyth on South Central Campus;
Russell A-E, Lane and Thompson on East Campus; and Dickinson A-F on West
Campus.
     Seven special housing programs are available through the Unique
Housing Options Assignment Process, initiated last year in response to
student interest and expanded for 1994-95:
     * The Smoke-and-Alcohol-Free Area in Sussex will be expanded
throughout the building and available to both freshmen and upperclass
students.
     * The "Friends Together" housing option, which allows groups of
upperclass students to request neighboring rooms or apartments, will be
expanded to Warner and continue in Christiana, Pencader and Rodney.
     * Three new special interest communities-Italian, Performing Arts and
East Asian-have been formed for the fall semester. Students now can request
to live in one of 19 special interest communities in Ray Street.
     * Students also can request honors housing, large rooms and suites, an
extended-study-hours floor in Christiana or economy single rooms.
     This year, to provide added incentive for upperclass students to stay
in on-campus housing, the assignment process has been changed to award
assignment priority to those students with the most semesters of on-campus
living. Upcoming juniors and seniors will be most likely to receive their
preferred assignment, and sophomores who stay on campus will be able to
count on moving into choice areas during their junior and senior years. The
preference process has been changed to allow all students more control in
requesting assignments to specific locations.
     Facility improvements have been carried out across campus, Passero
said. Technological services have been expanded. Cable TV, computer
networking and voice mail services are available now in all residence hall
rooms and on-campus apartments. Costs for these services were included in
student room rates, which increased by only 6.7 percent for the 1993-94
academic year.
     In Christiana apartments, extension lines were added to the local
telephone service in the apartments so that students can easily reach a
phone from all rooms.
     The Enterphone security system, which allows guests to visit these
high-rise buildings, was modified to allow apartment residents to "buzz in"
their guests without having to descend to the entrance floor in person.
     Full-sized refrigerators were added to all Christiana apartments last
year, and a kitchen-replacement program will near completion this summer.
     The elevators in Christiana West Tower also will be renovated this
summer to improve appearance and service. According to the project
engineer, a new computer-driven elevator system will provide the service
equivalent of adding a fourth elevator. The waiting time for elevator cars
will drop significantly, and new corridor doors and car interiors should
reduce damage and improve appearance.
     In Pencader, "peep holes" have been installed in all of the
private-entrance room doors for added convenience to students and security.
     This summer, Brown Residence Hall bathrooms and the heating system
will be renovated. New carpeting, drapes and furniture will be installed in
a variety of buildings. Student rooms will be painted in selected areas,
and the appearance of residence hall building entrances will be improved.
     Information gathered this fall from 20 student focus-group programs,
facilitated by housing and residence life staff, will be used to continue
improving occupancy plans and facilities in the future, Passero said.
                                                  -Sue Swyers Moncure