<p>D just asked me this question regarding room selection (which I’m taking as a positive sign that she’s leaning toward Alabama!). Once a student picks a room in a suite, does that suite automatically become unavailable to students of the other gender? In other words, if D logs in to the room selection site, when the available rooms come up will she need to weed through to see what rooms are either empty or occupied by girls, or does that occur automatically?</p>
<p>I’m guessing that happens automatically because I don’t recall seeing any guy names in rooms last year. Good question for UA Housing to answer perhaps. Have you watched the video on room selection? The process goes REALLY fast!</p>
<p>Thanks! Yes, she watched the video. I think that’s why she asked the question - she was concerned about having to move fast and didn’t want to have to search through the suites to make sure there were no boys in them.</p>
<p>Smart girl…good luck!</p>
<p>BTW…I just asked my daughter and she said I’m correct. It only shows you available rooms for your gender.</p>
<p>We have some questions here as well…</p>
<p>(1) Is there a way to see what’s available before your selection similar to being able to see what classes are offered and how many seats are available before your hold is removed to actually be able to select them? it would be nice to know how many rooms have been recontracted and which ones are open by gender before the selection clock starts ticking.</p>
<p>(2) Are all the suite dorm floors mixed gender…what I mean is are the even rooms for guys and odd for girls or any rule of thumb like that? </p>
<p>(2) Is there a way to find out whether rooms face inward or outward. In other words are some rooms lighter and others you would keep your blinds closed due to just looking at another brick wall or someone else’s room?</p>
<p>Unfortunately there isn’t a way to see room availability until your time to select a room. Within the Ridgecrest, Riverside, and Lakeside the genders are mixed on all floors. There are some dorms that are all one gender.</p>
<p>What building? All of the rooms in the RCS building (and likely all) will have windows to the outside. The white “blackout” panels that go behind curtains help block out what comes in through the closed blinds. You can find them at Target for around 20 dollars and hang them on a tension rod in the window framing above the blinds.</p>
<p>I guess was being dense. Are you asking which ones face back at the other building?</p>
<p>There are pre-deterimined “boy suites” and “girl suites”…</p>
<p>A girl won’t see a “boy suite” as a choice.</p>
<p>the school has to pre-determine otherwise too many single girls could name a suite (or vice versa) and then there would be a problem.</p>
<p>Honors floors are mixed gender…don’t know about the odd/even deal.</p>
<p>my son had 222 in Ridgecrest South, north tower…if there are girls with even numbered dorms, maybe they can speak up now.</p>
<p>Housing predetermines if male or female students will be occupying each suite. A suite can be a “male” suite one year and a “female” suite the next and vice-versa if no returning students choose that suite. There is really no rhyme or reason as to which rooms are “male” suites and which ones are “female” suites.</p>
<p>Various organizations are working to have gender-neutral housing at UA for upperclassmen who specifically chose to live in such an arrangement, but it will not be available for this upcoming year.</p>
<p>Sea_Tide: are you thinking that there will be gender neutral suites for the 2013-14 school year?</p>
<p>Is there a way to know which suites back up to the pool for Riverside West? D doesn’t want a window looking out onto the pool.</p>
<p>RobD, I have no idea. I know that several groups are pushing housing to make it an option, but wanted to emphasize that gender-neutral housing will not be available for this upcoming year. </p>
<p>linnylu, I don’t recall the room numbering scheme for Riverside, but am thinking that even numbered rooms face the back. As for the Riverside pool, it is not used for much of the fall/winter and as it isn’t very deep, shouldn’t be very noisy. I chose my room in Ridgecrest West so that I have a partial view of Palmer Lake, the ducks, and am close to the bus stop. There is hardly any noise. I figure that since UA doesn’t charge extra for views or location, I might as well pick the best room.</p>
<p>SeaTide, how can you tell which rooms at Ridgecrest West have a good view, are close to the bus stop, etc.? Does that type of thing show up anywhere on the room selection site, or do you just get a list of available rooms? Is there a map of the insides of the buildings anywhere? I think Ridgecrest West was the dorm D liked the best on paper, so she’d be especially interested in that one.</p>
<p>*Is there a way to know which suites back up to the pool for Riverside West? D doesn’t want a window looking out onto the pool. *</p>
<p>I’m not sure if many do. The pool is smallish and is behind only one tiny area of Riverside West. When I do a close up in hybrid mode on my iPad, it shows the pool as behind 2 suites on the first floor. </p>
<p>And certainly, if you choose a 3rd or 4th floor, you wouldn’t really be “near” the pool.</p>
<p>Is the concern the noise? If so…as SEA_Tide says, it’s not that kind of pool. It’s not like a hotel pool with lots of splashing and such. It’s more of a sunning yourself and cooling off pool.</p>
<p>* how can you tell which rooms at Ridgecrest West have a good view, are close to the bus stop, etc.? *</p>
<p>I don’t think you can tell that. There isn’t a map or anything on room selection. Years ago there was one, but Risk Mgmt consulting insisted that those maps/layouts be removed for security reasons.</p>
<p>As for rooms near a bus-stop…I think you mean exits…since the rooms have interior corridors. </p>
<p>The Ridgecrest bus stop is in that center area between all the Ridgecrest halls…near that circle.</p>
<p>The bus stops can be found on the Crimson Ride site.</p>
<p>Here’s a map of the bus stops.
<a href=“http://www.crimsonride.ua.edu/images/2010-maps/bus-stop-detail.pdf[/url]”>http://www.crimsonride.ua.edu/images/2010-maps/bus-stop-detail.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.crimsonride.ua.edu/pages/maps.htm[/url]”>http://www.crimsonride.ua.edu/pages/maps.htm</a></p>
<p>There are some rooms in Ridgecrest South North Tower that have windows which face a brick wall, there is still plenty of light as the window is really looking out on a service roof/alley, however there is no “real” view. Rather Private, really…</p>
<p>Son has odd numbered suite.</p>
<p>Suites are not gender mixed for the upcoming year as confirmed by UA housing.</p>
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