Residence Life
Pilots Prevent
March 1, 2021
Although UP students are barely into their spring semester, it’s already time to start thinking about fall housing. And this year, the sign-up process for returning students will be quite different than in years past.
The biggest difference? Student signups are prioritized according to their class year, not whether they’re currently living on campus or not. “Not everyone was able to live on campus this year,” says Ezequiel Delgado-Cervantes, housing coordinator for residence life. “To make it fair for everyone, we’re not prioritizing on campus versus off-campus like we usually do.”
Instead, students are assigned their selection time slot based on the number of credits they’re projected to have completed at the beginning of fall semester—in other words, whether they’re a rising sophomore, junior or senior. “On their selection night, instead of being limited to one residence hall, they can choose from any on campus,” says Delgado-Cervantes.
Andrew Weingarten, director of residence life, COVID-related safety and dedensification measures meant residence hall occupancy was reduced this year. “A lot of students that would be in housing if we weren’t in a pandemic are at home instead. We want to make sure everyone has the chance to participate, and this levels the playing field. It makes sure the students at home aren’t missing out at all and can still get the hall they want.”
Luckily, the whole process can be done online—thanks in large part to the work Delgado-Cervantes put in prior to the 2019-2020 school year when the new online platform debuted. “We used to have a laborious, stressful, in-person process,” he says. “Now it’s simplified, and students can access it from anywhere.”
No matter what city, state or country UP students are currently residing in, they’ll be able to sign up for their preferred housing situation without having to come to campus. Residence Life has an instructional video that walks students through the process, as well as a comprehensive FAQ section on the website. Students should fill out a housing application by March 8, and they’ll be assigned a lottery timeslot—a day and time when they can go online and pick out their room later that month. All lottery timeslots will be assigned between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. (PST).
What if the time slot falls during class, or even the middle of the night? “We don’t want students to miss class or be at a disadvantage because of a major time zone difference,” says Delgado-Cervantes. “They can email us at the main residence life account and we’ll assign a staff member to serve as a proxy.”
According to Weingarten, residence life is doing all it can to make sure the housing selection process is smooth and easy for all students. “We’re so excited to get back a little closer to normal and get students back in our residence halls,” he says.
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