Returning from abroad, some juniors have been placed in single rooms converted to doubles, while new winter starts have been assigned to rooms that were study rooms. These unique housing situations are in addition to many freshmen being assigned to overflow triples. Clearly, by looking a the numbers, Colorado College is amidst a housing shortage.
Justin Weis, Associate Director of Housing and Conferences, addressed these concerns and explained what the college is doing to accommodate the student body’s housing needs.
“Right now we are a little over 100% occupancy and we budget at 97%, so we don’t even plan to get to 100% financially; we aim for that 97%,” said Weis. “Currently we are over 103%, so there is not a lot of flexibility, and we do the very best we can.”
In response to the current high occupancy, the housing office had to get creative.
“We primarily looked at CC Inn rooms because they are typically bigger than most and have private restrooms. We thought the Inn would be a good place to add an extra bed here and there,” said Weis. “We also reduced the rate to accommodate for that tight space. Just like any organization, we have to figure out strategies to meet the demands of housing. At the same, time it needs to be reasonable so our students can be successful and comfortable and find a place they can call home.”
Juniors who go abroad have been frustrated with the housing process.
“Trying to plan a year out is challenging on both ends. We don’t know what’s going to be available for those students who are returning in January because we do rely on folks that decide to go abroad in the spring and those numbers don’t always match up,” said Weis. “Of course, there are many other reasons that spaces become available in December and we are also able to use those spaces.”
Despite this, on-campus housing for four years remains guaranteed. Historically, the College has been able to provide housing for all juniors as well as for seniors who wish to remain on campus. Since there’s typically 75-100 seniors that make the choice to live on campus housing can accommodate them. The majority of them are in the Western Ridge apartments.
Weis suggested that students should plan ahead and be communicative with the housing department about their situations. In order to plan for housing for next year, students should attend an information session on how to be proactive. On Feb. 15 and 16, there will be information sessions about apartment selection and room selection in Bemis Great Hall.
Weis said, “We want students to be successful, and if their room make-up is not allowing them to be successful, then we need to rectify that as soon as we possibly can.”
He encouraged students who are in unfavorable housing situations to communicate this with their RA, RLC, or the housing department.
For a possible opportunity to change rooms, students should get on the wait list. The link for that is on the Residential Life website.