Unpleasant procedures have vanished as Biola students embrace their new housing plans for the 2011-2012 school year.

Paperless housing process

According to housing manager Heidi Herchelroath, students can now apply and select roommates online, as well as fill out paperless housing contracts and emergency information. During online room selection, students will be able to see any available apartment or room in any building that can accommodate their full roommate group.

“The methods have changed for good,” said Beth Tabor, the associate dean of Residence Life as she opened up the housing selection info session on March 10 in Sutherland Auditorium.

Info meetings explain new guidelines

Recently, Herchelroath has organized instruction meetings where students can familiarize themselves with renovated guidelines for housing selection next year. The housing selection meeting on March 10 launched the sequence of informative sessions.

In previous years, the process of housing selection has implemented what many said, are beneficial, yet unpleasant procedures.

“The process was stressful, not only for students who would wake up at six in the morning to make line for priority in the selection, but also for resident directors who worked all day,” said Julia Bates, a resident assistant in Alpha East.

Online room selection eliminates wait time

In the past, for those who planned to live on-campus, housing selection was time consuming. Students were required to form individual lines corresponding to each dorm, and stood for hours before choosing their rooms. On top of that, priority was awarded on first-come-first-serve basis, and upperclassmen were allowed to select rooms at an earlier time than lowerclassmen.

Similarly, students who were settled on future roommates had priority over those who remained undecided. Individual maps were laid out for each dorm, and students, along with their future roommates, were required to be physically present.

Those who aspired to move into the Biola’s off-campus apartments –– the Block, the Bluff, or Thompson Hall –– were required to partake in a lottery method of selection.

No one was guaranteed an apartment; students were individually distributed a random number. Residence Life staff members would call out a number, while students eagerly waited until their number was the closest to the one called. If it was, they were given the privilege to choose the apartment of their choice. If it was not, they were out of luck.

Changes provide a better method

Students like junior Matt Gould said they believe that the previous method was inconvenient and disheartening.

“They spent all that time eagerly awaiting the opportunity to select the apartment of their choice and stepped out disillusioned,” Gould said.

With that in mind, the Housing and Auxiliary Services Staff have renovated the procedure from a face-to-face method to a cyber method. Students who are planning to live on campus next year can now apply through http://my.biola.edu>MyHousing. Furthermore, housing selection will not be first-come-first-serve nor will upperclassmen have priority over lowerclassmen.

Assigned times replace lottery method

Once students apply for housing online, they will be assigned a specific time to log in and choose their rooms. Students who will try to select a room before their given time will be prohibited from doing so. As students log in at their appointed time, available rooms will be displayed online, per hall, for them to select from.

If students want to remain in their previous rooms, chances depend on the rooms that are available. In case their room is already taken, they will at least have the opportunity to continue living in the same hall. On top of that, one student can sign up for their whole group if all group members are matched up; this applies for all housing options.

Resources available online

There is a housing selection PowerPoint and video tutorial on the Biola Housing website that guides students step-by-step through the procedure. Additional information on this process can be accessed on the Housing website.

Roommate mixer helps students plan ahead

Herchelroath organized the Roommate Mixer event as a way of assisting students who need help finding future roommates. The Roommate Mixer took place on Wednesday, March 23, in the Collegium. This event enabled a smoother transition for students to select their future roommates.

“Time is a valuable resource, and we want to preserve as much time as possible for students to use in other areas of their life.” Herchelroath said. “Plus, this puts students in the driver’s seat, so they can choose what they want from the available options. We all care deeply about our students –– this was one way we could make their experience better.”

Upcoming housing deadline

More information on room selection or lotteries will be provided at Info Session Part 2: How to Select a Room. It will be taking place on Tuesday, March 29, from 9 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. This session is mandatory for students who want to select a room or apartment.

Continuing students must apply online for housing to be able to select a room or apartment for next year. The last day to apply for housing is Friday, March 25.