Room Draw Leaves Almost 200 Rising Sophomores Homeless

Author: Tom Drescher

April is here, and with it comes the stressful process of room draw. This year, almost 200 members of the class of 2006 left Room Draw on Thursday night without rooms for the fall.
"This is not particularly unusual," explained Residential Systems Coordinator Mariah McKechnie, who is responsible for organizing room draw and making sure that all students have rooms by the beginning of the fall semester. "The current housing situation on campus is no different than it has been or will be," said McKechnie. "We will always be filled to the max, with little room to waste. The College will do everything it can to run at full occupancy. This affects room draw because there are not always enough rooms available at the time of the draw for everyone drawing."
This situation can be very stressful, especially for students new to the process. Fortunately, with juniors studying abroad and various other changes, sufficient housing is available to accommodate everyone by September, and summer draw ensures that anyone without a room at the end of spring semester will not be left homeless.
"Some [students] may have been disappointed that they were unable to continue with their commons," explained McKechnie.
"I was very upset immediately after room draw. It was distressing to have number 105 in my commons, and not get a room," said Tara Micherone '06, in tears late last Thursday night. "I thought I was going to have to live in an igloo, but I feel better about it now."
Added Micherone, "I wasn't happy to hear that boys from other commons were able to draw rooms in Hepburn, while lots of Brainerd girls were squeezed out completely."
Similar complaints could be heard from members of Ross Commons, where a large number of incoming sophomores, mostly females, still do not have rooms for next year. "The College will definitely find a place for you," said Brainerd Commons Residential Advisor Lynette Cassidy '02. Despite assurances such as this from the college, it is disconcerting to walk away from the draw without a room.
Although very hectic, the process itself went well. "All of the draws ran smoothly," said McKechnie. "Some take longer than others, but they all ran according to plan."
"There were no significant changes to the room draw process this year. There were a few properties added, but that is about the only change," added McKechnie.
Next year, however, with the addition of a new building in Atwater Commons, the room draw process may change.
"With the addition of Atwater Commons' new building, I expect that there will be significant changes made to the room draw system. I suspect there will be an attempt to make continuing [within one's] commons more feasible and important in room draw," explained McKechnie.
In response to criticism that the commons system has a negative impact on room draw and housing, McKechnie responded, "There are always complaints about the commons system; students use it as an excuse for just about everything. However, the direction of these complaints has shifted in the last few years."
McKechnie thinks that students are now more concerned with continuing in their commons, and upcoming changes in the system reflect this concern.
Additional housing being built will ensure that students have the option of remaining in a commons for all four years, and the uncertainty of leaving room draw homeless will become less of an issue.