The location of the substance-free, smoke-free and single-sex housing will change due to the renovation of North and South Dormitories and the use of Pratt Dormitory as freshman housing. North is currently smoke- and substance-free, while South is smoke-free.
Dean of Residential Life Charri Boykin-East has worked along with members of the Student Housing Advisory Committee, Physical Plant and the residential life staff to make essential decisions about housing and to replace rooms that will be lost due to renovations.
Because Williston is newly renovated, it will remain smoke-free for as long as possible to keep the building in good condition, according to Administrative Assistant for Residential Life Betsy Marble. Other smoke-free buildings will include Appleton Hall, Pratt and Morrow Dormitories and Tyler House.
When filled to capacity, Pratt houses approximately 100 students. Half of of the dorm is currently designated as health and wellness housing. Since Pratt will house freshmen, health and wellness will be located on the fourth floor of Morrow and in the Waldorf-Astoria.
Next year, single-sex housing will be available for females on the second floor of Morrow and if more space is needed, in the annexes of Pond and Coolidge. Single-sex housing is generally not popular among upperclassmen. Students tend to chose the rooms on the single-sex halls toward the end of the room draw process, according to Marble. Despite the tendency of students to choose co-ed housing, if at least one person requests single-sex housing, the school is required to provide a single-sex hall.
The administration has not yet decided where freshman single-sex housing will be located. Marble noted that single-sex freshman floors only exist if one incoming male or female requests single-sex housing on the freshman housing forms. "Despite these changes, we still have been able to retain the same number of beds that Pratt usually provides, so there is no need to worry about [lack of space]," said Marble. "We have reached uncharted territory and it will be interesting to see what happens on the second and third nights of Room Draw," she added.
Due to the loss of Pratt, which primarily contains triples, there will be far fewer triples available in room draw. Rising sophomores will have more flexibility if they enter room draw in even-numbered groups.
Because of the loss of Pratt and great fear of ending up in the modular housing next year, an unusually large number of rising sophomores feel the need to consider theme house living more seriously.
Yet, theme house living can only accommodate a limited number of students. Aidan Sleeper '06 expressed his unease about the whole process. "I don't know what to expect since this year's room draw is so different from what rising sophomores in past years have experienced," said Sleeper. "Many of my friends and I are worried that not only will we not be where we'd like to, but that our chances of getting into a theme house are slim to none."
Despite these changes, students who still would have been interested in theme houses may now have a smaller chance of being accepted. In addition, theme house members are worried that the quality of theme house applicants will greatly diminish because of students who apply for the wrong reasons. "It is a concern. We're going to try to keep an eye on applications for indications that people might be interested in the house for housing and not for the theme of the house," said president of the Asian Culture House Blake Van Noy '04.
Students can expect to see further changes as freshman housing renovations continue over the next few years. Administrators expect that the new dorms currently being constructed in the space where Milliken Dormitory used to be will open in August 2004.
Despite the differences in room draw this year, all students will be guaranteed on-campus housing.
The best advice Marble has offer to all worried students regarding this year's room draw is, "Relax, you will get a room."