By Lauren Toole

This year, groups applying for theme and division housing will have to attend the housing lottery on Saturday, April 13 rather than having their housing determined before the lottery. According to Alicia Dugas, assistant dean of students and first-year dean, the change gives theme and division housing applicants more time to solidify their memberships and finalize their housing decisions.

In the past, those who were slotted to live in division housing had a separate lottery that took place three weeks before the housing lottery. Groups would bring all of their members, sign contracts and pick their spaces. No lottery number would be assigned, and they would skip the lottery on Saturday altogether.

Since the division housing lottery took place three weeks earlier, groups often did not know exactly how many members would remain in their group.

“Some of them were going through pledging, and their memberships were really questionable,” said Dugas. “We might have somebody who signed up and then decided not to go and vice versa.”

“A lot of these groups said they could use more time,” she said.

The theme housing lottery will operate much the same way. Before, theme groups came on a separate night to sign up for their housing accommodations. Applications were typically due before the end of January. The application deadline this year was pushed to right before spring break to give groups more time to figure out their plans.

“It was just too early,” said Dugas. “People weren’t really thinking about housing yet, so we pushed that back.”

The theme and division housing lottery will take place after the North Campus Apartment/Morgan Apartment lottery at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. It will function as it has in the past ﾗ groups will simply sign up for their spaces as they have before. The regular housing lottery will begin at 1:00 p.m. with rising seniors.

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