Although students don't usually plan on leaving mid-quarter when they select a residence hall for the next year, arrangements don't always last.
This school year 1,277 students changed rooms. South Green had the most room changes with 542, followed by East Green with 397 and West Green with 338. As of Fall Quarter, there were 7,507 students living in residence halls.
Unbridgeable differences between roommates spark most room changes, said Beverley Wyatt, director of housing.
For many students
it is the first time living with someone and they don't know what they are getting into Wyatt said. They could be in a situation they may not feel as comfortable with as they'd like.
Ryors Hall had the highest percentage of room changes with 29 percent and 59 room changes.
Ryors Hall is a freshman residence hall with a scholastic emphasis and 24-hour quiet hours. The rooms are mostly doubles and triples. Of the students who changed rooms, 24 moved to a different building and 35 moved to a room in Ryors Hall. Ryors Hall has room for 202 students.
On the first and second floors of Ryors Hall, many rooms that were originally doubles were converted into triples, and Wyatt said the tight living space in the forced triple could account for the high number of room changes.This summer, the rooms will be converted back into doubles.
Brown Hall had the second highest percentage of room changes with 25 percent and 69 room changes. Of those students, 51 moved to a different residence hall and 18 moved to a different room in Brown Hall. Brown Hall is a freshman and upperclassmen residence hall with mostly quads, and can house 272 students.
The mostly triple- and quad-style makeup of Brown Hall could explain the high number of room changes, Wyatt said.
Students may feel they can better adjust in a smaller room
Wyatt said.
The lowest number of room changes was in Foster House of South Green, with 6 percent of students changing room, and six students changing. Upperclassman and graduate students live in Foster House, and it is mostly single rooms. Foster House can have 92 total students.
As a primarily upperclassman residence hall with single rooms, students know what to expect and are less likely to leave, Wyatt said.
While cramped living quarters or roommate squabbling are reasons sometimes cited for changing rooms, some students might change because of the cost, Wyatt said. If a single is too expensive, they could move into a double or triple.
17
Archives
Jackie Best
200806068368midsize.jpeg
