Housing numbers to be released in the fall

Numbers for next spring's housing lottery numbers will probably be released this fall, in an attempt to help upperclassmen make early decisions about living situations for next year.

The Office of Residential Life (ResLife) planned on issuing numbers as early as November last year, but technical problems delayed the release until the usual March date. The lottery that spring left many upperclassmen homeless, as only 70 out of 1,200 juniors were given on-campus rooms.

Though the effort to get the numbers out early last year failed, ResLife is confident that it can happen this year. Students are also optimistic. "I've heard from the administration dates such as before Thanksgiving," said Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senator Josh Belkin, who has been working with ResLife on this issue.

The reason why lottery numbers cannot easily be released earlier is that they are assigned based on class standing. ResLife needed to wait to know which students would be in each class before being able to assign them appropriate numbers.

But "academics wouldn't matter if they did the numbers earlier," King said. "It would all be based on providing housing to students who want to live on campus."

"All they need to do is say, 'This lottery number is contingent on your progressing with your class'," Belkin said.

Though early release of numbers would help students plan ahead, it will not solve the problem of the lack of housing for juniors _ the only class not guaranteed a room on campus.

"Nothing really can be done," King said. "What...decreases the number of spaces is that seniors are given seniority to live on campus." This policy, King said, is not likely to change soon.

A major problem in the past is that juniors who find out in March that they will not be housed on campus do not have time to find other arrangements. Finding affordable housing in the area is a difficult task, given that the cost of housing in Somerville and Medford has risen with the elimination of rent control in Boston and Cambridge. Furthermore, the apartments surrounding Davis Square have become more desirable to the general public as they are some of the most affordable places to live within walking distance of public transportation.

"The lottery happens after most leases are due for off-campus housing, and I think that is unfair to people who can't get on campus," junior Jeff Rawitsch said. If numbers were released earlier, students would have the first shot at housing, he said.

Though ResLife takes various measures to aid students in finding off-campus housing, they are limited in how much they can help. The Office of Off-Campus Housing, for example, publishes local listings and information on leases and tenant rights.

"We try to list any and all apartments," King said, but the list is limited by the cost and availability of housing. Most juniors think that the list would be longer if there were more time to search for housing, she said.

The construction of a new dorm will only do a little to alleviate the housing crunch, and it will not be finished for several years. Work on the building is scheduled to start this summer, but its 150 beds will still not be enough to help the junior class.

The housing shortage problem is not unique to Tufts, as there are over 50 colleges in the metropolitan Boston area. "Any of the Boston schools face the same issues regarding the housing and cost," King said. Over 57,000 students in the Boston area live in off-campus housing.

While an earlier release of lottery numbers wouldn't solve the socioeconomic factors that lead to housing shortages, it would certainly alleviate the headaches of many a rising junior. "People want to know generally where they are," Belkin said.