In recent years, some students have worried that the housing selection process is not as fair as it appears. Last year, a member of the class of 2007 intended to room with a classmate in a popular FLG dorm. However, her roommate decided to withdraw from PA over the summer. This sudden change of events left the other girl in need of a single room. Though the Academy was originally going to place her in her former home, a less popular PKN dorm, her mother called the Academy; when the girl returned to campus she was in one of the biggest singles in the best girls dorm on campus. Mike Jiang ’07 had a similar experience, with less satisfying results. When his roommate chose not to return for this school year, he was given the option of either living with a randomly selected roommate in his former dorm, Stuart, or moving into a single in Andover Cottage. He wanted to stay in Stuart, but was unwilling to room with a stranger. He said, “I didn’t have much say [in it], but that’s the way it works.” Yet these case involved extenuating circumstances. According to Dean of Students Marlys Edwards, the majority of the suspicions and concerns surrounding housing arise because students do not understand the system. She said, “I usually have a conversation [about housing] with one or two [students] in a given year. Mostly [I just end up] explaining the system to them.” Ms. Edwards continued, “[Saying you want a room in a popular dorm is] like saying you want to buy a house on the Upper East Side. You have to see if there is one available first. You’ve got to make sure there’s real estate available before you make your choice.” There is widespread confusion on campus regarding the system and how it allocates housing as many students do not understand its mechanics, or their rights if they choose to move to an in-cluster dorm. Based on the results of the All-School Lottery, a Housing Committee, composed of Ms. Edwards and all five cluster deans, selects which student to send to each dorm. If students choose to enter the Lottery instead of moving within their dorm or cluster, the Committee will choose their living arrangements based upon seniority, the ratio between various grades in a dorm, whether or not the student will be displaced, and the numbers which he or she draws in the Lottery. Priority is given first to upperclassmen, and then displaced students; only after these two factors have been discussed do lottery numbers enter the equation. Students who must leave their dorms, such as freshmen, Prefects, and those returning from School Year Abroad (SYA) are displaced, and thus have priority over those with higher lottery numbers. However there is a hierarchy within this system, as each grade has preference over the ones beneath it. Thus, even if a Senior draws a considerably larger number than a Lower, the Senior will still have priority. StudeNts can always choose to remain in a dorm, and if there is an available double room in the dorm, he or she can “pull-in” a friend from another dorm or cluster as their roommate. There is also an in-cluster lottery, which occurs before the Housing Lottery. Members of a cluster are given their choice of dorm within that cluster before students from other clusters are assigned to dorms. Despite a system that works to give older students priority, some upperclassmen have voiced dissatisfaction about the weight placed on seniority. Peter Casey ’07 wanted to live in Foxcroft last year. Although he was older and drew a higher lottery number than a freshman, the freshman got the room. In this case, the Committee displaced Casey in order to maintain a balance of grades in the dorm. Though the Committee seeks to achieve equilibrium of ages in each dorm, there will always be a small imbalance as the Senior class is the largest, but as Ms. Edwards said, “We don’t want dorms to be dominated by seniors.” When questioned about the fairness and effectiveness of the system, Ms. Edwards said, “I think it’s very fair. There are lots of schools where students are assigned to a dorm and they live there for all four years. I like the fact that we have ninth grade dorms…we’ve got 42 dorms and only 18 of them are big, big dorms, so the majority are stackable (the ones with eight students or less). Between stacking, pulling in, in-cluster moving, students have a lot of options.” Ms. Edwards said that she does not see a need for a revision of the housing allocation system. “I don’t know [who has the power to revise the lottery system]. I suppose I do, but I don’t honestly see anything wrong. I think it works well by giving students who have been at the school longer priority,” she said. This year’s housing selection process will begin on April 18. This is the same day that Prefects are chosen for the 2006-2007 school year. Students who enter the Housing Lottery will draw numbers between May 8 and May 10. Housing decisions are announced as soon as the final decisions have been made, usually between May 19 and May 22. However, at recent cluster meetings, deans encouraged students to begin to consider housing arrangements for the upcoming year. Soon students will be asked to fill out a sheet specifying their grade, current dorm, desired dorms in sequential order, whether or not they wish to move clusters, and whether or not they will spend any terms off campus.
