<p>I wanted to share some changes to the recontracting process, as it is slightly different than it’s been in the past. Please note: This is only for students that currently live on campus and want to stay on campus next year!!!</p>
<p>The period to apply to live on campus again will be Jan. 2 Feb. 1, 2013. (This is a change from an Oct start of the period.)</p>
<p>Rental companies are already starting to sign contracts for next year. Housing and Residential Communities plans several off-campus housing fairs through out the year so that students can get an idea in the differences in amenities, rent, etc.</p>
<p>That being said, sooner is always better than later, but we do know that there are typically apartments still available over the summer. It may not be exactly what you want in terms of cost, distance, roommate matching, and the like, but there are places still available for lease. If you have several parameters that you want to meet, I would suggest starting early.</p>
<p>Recontracting:
Incoming freshmen, students with special needs that require living on campus, and students with housing scholarships, receive priority in living on campus. All current residents who want to return to campus housing should be sure to meet all HRC application deadlines, as this is the best way to maximize their chances for campus housing.</p>
<p>So just to clarify, a current honors college student, currently residing in honors housing, that does not have a housing scholarship is not guaranteed on campus housing. Even if they meet all of the deadlines?</p>
<p>^^I’m not UA Housing, seekingknowledge, but this is what I found in the FAQ’s section of the Housing link provided above.</p>
<p>“What happens if demand for housing exceeds available space?”</p>
<p>“If more students apply for housing by the application deadline than there is space available, some students will not be able to complete the recontracting process. If students must be “bumped” because of excess demand, those students will be placed on a waiting list for housing and accommodated in housing is space becomes available at a later date. Students who have housing scholarships, special medical need, or are eligible for and participating in certain living-learning communities (e.g., Honors Housing, the French House, the Mallet Assembly, etc.), will not be removed from the recontracting process. Priority for on-campus housing is based on application date and classification, so rising sophomores will receive housing priority, beginning with those who submitted their housing application the soonest, followed by rising juniors and rising seniors, in application date order.”</p>
<p>The third sentence talks about those with scholarships and those in Honors.</p>
<p>I saw that language too but was wondering why Janine quoted all of it except the living learning community/honors part. There were instances (such as what’s permitted in the dorms) where what was on the website was wrong, so I’d love to get confirmation from UA Housing that that language from the website is still current and correct.</p>
<p>What is also is unclear is the language about certain current residents of selected locations (such as Presidential, for example) seems to infer some sort of “squatter’s rights” where I know they are not guaranteed anything, but lends one to believe that if you are currently in Presidential, and would like to stay there next year, you can only apply to a building where you presently reside (or something to that effect). I took from it that if you were in Presidential and wanted to move to say, Bryant, that would not be offered to you during the re-contracting process. I think some official clarification from UA proper would be helpful here…</p>
<p>Another unpublicized change is that rising sophomores (current freshmen) will have priority over rising juniors, who in turn have priority over rising seniors, which is the opposite of the previous policy.</p>
<p>Selected dorms are restricted to returning students who have already lived in that dorm and new students. This is no guarantee that students living in those buildings will be allowed to recontract without being put on the waiting list.</p>
<p>The change in wording for Living-Learning Community recontracting suggests that Housing reserves the right not to immediately extend recontracting to any student living in honors who applies by the deadline. If this occurs, it will be a big negative. Nothing is stopping housing from designating a more traditional style dorm as another honors dorm and making sure that all honors students desiring on campus housing get it.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the price of UA housing has historically increased by 8-10% per year.</p>
<p>Off campus housing options lower prices as the spring and summer wear on, so if you aren’t picky about where you are in a complex, you might save an extra $200-$400.</p>
<p>So, I am correct in understanding that Honor Students without a housing scholarship are no longer assured an honors housing spot? Even if they submit all the paperwork by the deadline? Sorry for beating the horse, I just want to make sure we understand the rules for next year. </p>
<p>I have a question about the different order of recontracting. Son and most of his suitemates will be seniors next year, and they will probably want to spend their final year in the room they’ve called home for the last three years. However, they have a new suitemate who is a freshman, and I hate to think he could put himself back in his same room, and God forbid, pull in three brothers, leaving the boys to find new accommodations. Two of the three have housing scholarships, so hopefully, they will have on campus housing, and can hopefully pull in the third so they can stay together. I know they have a fourth in mind who they missed out on pulling in last year, but they would love to spend their final year on campus together before they go their separate ways. Sniff, sniff.</p>
<p>Montegut~ if I remember correctly from this past spring, all returning students could pick their current room on the same day. No one could “give” their room away until the following day (it might have actually been two days later) when students could pull other eligible students into the suite. That is how DD got into her current room. She did not indicate she wanted her same room and then the following day she was pulled into a friend’s suite in another dorm. There wasn’t a priority for this part of the room choosing.</p>
<p>In other words, if they are allowed to re-contract they get first dibs on their current room.</p>
<p>What are the thoughts about whether UA Housing will “advertise” East Edge and/or other off campus alternatives for students with Housing scholarships to choose instead of or as incentive to choosing to remain in the dorms? My D will be a Junior next year and would likely choose to move to East Edge next year instead of remaining in the RSC, but wants to retain the housing scholarship benefit.</p>
<p>Before he made his decision to move into East Edge this year, my son and I were both told by UA housing that he would retain the housing scholarship and the option to move back into the honors dorms if he decided to move to East Edge. That promise was critical to his decision to move into East Edge rather than stay in the on-campus Honors Dorms. At the time, it was explained by UA housing that they really needed encourage ccurrent Honors students to move into East Edge so that they could make room in the Honors Dorms for the incoming, first year Honors students.</p>