Following what Residential Life officials consider a low application response, they are giving students are being given a second chance to reapply for on-campus housing for fall 2005 and spring 2006.
Tiffany Netters, communications and conference coordinator for the Department of Residential Life, said students can come into Grace King Hall from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. for the rest of this semester to reapply for housing.
Today the office will hold extended hours — until 7 p.m. — and students can also go to room 107 in the Pentagon this week.
Renee Snider, associate director of operations for the Department of Residential Life, said 36 percent (2,160 students) of the nearly 6,000 students currently living on campus, reapplied online.
But their goal this year is for 40 percent to reapply.
Snider said a 36 percent return rate is the same as last year, but Residential Life is making a “big push to retain students” this year. The second reapplication period is part of that push.
Netters said she thinks there are many reasons for making reapplication available again.
She said Residential Life officials felt the first reapplication had been too early. They also thought many students did not know about it and that some were still thinking about whether to live on or off campus next year.
For this second reapplication process, Residential Life e-mailed on-campus students and had an aggressive advertising campaign.
Snider said Residential Life has had fewer applications from incoming freshmen for housing next year. She said she thinks that is because the University has had fewer freshmen applications due to heightened admission standards.
Netters said that unlike the first chance students had to reapply from Feb. 28 until March 4, this time students can not reapply online.
Ernest Seveal, a civil engineering freshman, took advantage of the second reapplication period to live on campus this summer. He said he missed the first opportunity.
Kasey Mathews, a psychology freshman, reapplied yesterday for the fall and spring.
She said she had not decided to stay on-campus until after the first reapplication period.
“I was supposed to get an apartment with my current roommate, but it didn’t work,” she said. “It was too expensive.”