Syracuse University’s Office of Housing, Meal Plan and ID Card Services held the first of two information sessions for students in the Shemin Auditorium in Shaffer Art Building on Monday night regarding changes to the housing process.

Eileen Simmons, director of housing, meal plan and ID card services, said the meeting was designed to help freshmen become acclimated with the housing process and for some students to find roommates. About 60 people attended the forum.

In an email to students, the Office of Housing, Meal Plan and ID Card Services announced in October that upperclassmen will have fewer on-campus housing options next year after changes were made to the housing lottery to accommodate the large incoming freshman and sophomore classes. The forum served as an opportunity to discuss those changes, as well as a few additional changes to the housing lottery were that were announced at the forum.

SU will hold rooms for incoming students and rising sophomores to ensure they get housing and fulfill the two-year on-campus housing requirement.

“In the past that has not happened because upperclassmen have taken some of the rooms,” Simmons said.

Housing in Washington Arms, located at 621 Walnut Ave., will only be available for students who have completed their two-year on-campus housing requirement.

“It’s been renovated in the last couple of years,” Simmons said. “We felt it was important to give to (upperclassmen).”

Although not announced at the forum, Day and Sadler Halls will be freshman-only dorms, Simmons said.

For upperclassmen, there will be six more apartments added to University Village next year, for a total of 62. For the first time, students will be required to purchase private renters insurance in order to live in the complex. All students who have completed their two-year on-campus housing requirement, and who also wish to live in a group of four, can only live at UV.

“Whether students go through the lottery to live at University Village or rent there privately, that (insurance) is something that students need to have,” said Ryan Barker, assistant director for north campus housing.

Simmons added that upperclassmen and incoming freshmen will be the only ones able to get single rooms.

“Rather than have some students bank on the single and be completely disappointed, why do that to them?” Simmons said.

For students without roommates, the office has a social media plan to help students find a match.

Students looking for roommates can do so by friend requesting SUhousing Roommatefinder on Facebook. They can join as long as they have paid for or waived their advance housing deposit and agreed to the terms and conditions of student housing on MySlice by March 17. Barker said about 100 students have interacted with the page.

Many freshmen attended and found the session useful, including Andrew Stranahan, a freshman social studies education major, who said the forum helped him understand the housing lottery.

“It’s definitely helping me to clarify the lottery process,” he said.

There will to be another housing lottery forum on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Arnold M. Grant Auditorium in the Falk Complex. In addition, the first-ever parent webinar session will be held Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Schine Student Center, in which parents can send questions to the housing department and ask questions about student housing.

Published on February 17, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Rob: rromano@syr.edu