UConn students left frustrated over housing selection process 

On April 8, the University of Connecticut general housing selection process began with thousands of students hoping to get the best on-campus housing possible.  

However, when looking at available housing options, many students found their preferred housing had already been taken. This happened for both upper and underclassmen.  

The university housing selection is credit-based, meaning the more credits you have, the earlier your pick time will be in the selection process. Students receive an email a few weeks before housing selection informing them of how many credits they have and the date and time of their pick, according to the UConn Residential Life website. 

Students who have more credits can pull in other students they want to room with even if those students have fewer credits, according to the website. 

Up until the housing selection period, fourth-semester students Erin Cioffi, an allied health major, Marlee Archer, undeclared, Jami Sacco, a marketing major and Emma O’Connell, a nutrition major, had planned on living together in a four-person suite in the South dorms. Cioffi had the earliest pick date of the group, April 10, due to her 65 credits.  

When the day came to pick their room, Cioffi found that all of the South suites had been taken and their second choice, the Charter Oak Apartments, were also all gone.  

“I was fairly confident that I would at least get old South and then I didn’t get it. I felt a lot of pressure when I saw that housing was going fast. When I didn’t get it, I felt sad. There’s a lot of emotion behind it,” Cioffi said.  

Kimberly Proulx, interim co-executive director of ResLife, and Stephanie Reitz, the university spokesperson, explained in a joint statement that “Premium housing spaces, apartments and suites typically are selected heavily in the first few days of the selection process. As selection times are generated by credits earned, the senior standing and junior standing students select in the first few days and are typically interested in these types of spaces and areas of campus.”  

O’Connell felt that due to Cioffi having junior-level credits they should have had the opportunity to live where they wanted. The group of four decided to live in two traditional doubles in the Northwest residential halls next year to stay living near each other.  

“Everything in South was gone within the first two days of housing. So you’re telling me we need to be seniors to get the housing we want. We are living in regular dorms for three years in a row now and in Northwest we will be living with freshmen,” O’Connell said.  

In the joint statement Reitz and Proulx said that with the number of juniors and seniors looking for housing, there simply isn’t enough premium space for housing to meet every student’s preference.  

“There are an estimated 4,400 apartment and suite spaces total on campus, out of more than 12,000 total beds, so ultimately there are not enough premium spaces to accommodate all senior and junior students interested in these areas. We do our best to educate students in selection about the types of housing that will be available and encourage students to manage their expectations and have multiple plans in place,” said Reitz and Proulx.  

Graham Young, a current sixth-semester history student, shared his frustration with the fact that he is going into his senior year and also could not get his preferred housing. Young currently lives in the Charter Oak Apartments and was hoping to live in the Hilltop Apartments next year but could not since they had all been taken already by the time of his roommate’s pick date, which was April 9.  

His main reason for wanting to leave the Charter Oak Apartments, he says, is due to the distance from campus and his inability to get to and from his dorm easily.  

“I like having my own room in Charter Oak but the bus situation is annoying. The blue line is unreliable and rarely on time. It’s either too early to catch or prohibitively late. There are no buses on weekends or after 6:00 p.m. It makes getting to class difficult,” said Young.  

Young also mentioned that during the winter, the walk up to Charter Oak is usually very icy and it can be a difficult trek.  

In the joint statement, Reitz and Proulx stressed that “Residential Life does all within its power to help alleviate the inconveniences associated with bad weather but is limited in its ability to resolve all of the issues that students say they face.” 

As for the UConn bus transportation around campus, “UConn contracts with the Windham Regional Transit Authority to operate the on-campus bus system, and we encourage passengers to be in touch with that entity to discuss concerns about schedules, routes, and reliability,” according to Reitz and Proulx.  

Although Young does find the housing selection process very helpful and easy to use, he does not think it is very effective.  

“The housing process is generally easy to use but is it effective? I don’t know. To me, effective is getting as many people where they want as you can. That doesn’t seem to happen very often,” Young said. 

However, some students have found themselves satisfied with the results of their housing selection.  

Second-semester roommates Julia Forman, a biological sciences major, and Sophia Christos, an allied health major, who are currently living in the North dorms, found that they were able to secure a housing choice that they liked.  

Christos picked housing on April 15, pulling in her current roommate Forman. With 38 credits, Christos ended up as an underclassman who benefited from the credit-based system as she came into college with 22 credits from high school.  

The pair ended up choosing to live in the West dorms next year. Although it wasn’t their first choice, they are happy to be living somewhere else.  

“I think it’s gonna be good. It’s a much better location than here and the dorm itself is nicer than North. It’s not the best option, but I think it’ll be fine,” said Christos.  

Forman expressed that she is looking forward to living near the UConn Recreational Center and is excited to have a laundry room in her building as the North dorm they are currently in does not have one. All North residents use one shared laundry room that is located underneath the North Dining Hall, according to Forman.  

Some freshmen were not so lucky as second-semester pharmacy student Casey Benga was put on the housing waitlist after turning in her housing form a few days late.  

According to the UConn ResLife website, “Storrs students who apply after February 10 will be placed on a waiting list. After applying, these students should wait to receive an email offering guaranteed housing and complete the Housing Guarantee Acceptance Form by the deadline provided in the email offer.” 

However, in the past, some students have not been guaranteed housing when put on the waitlist due to an overflow of students. According to the 2023-2024 Reslife housing contract, any students who have “missed any Residential Life or Campus Change approval deadlines” will not be guaranteed housing and put on the waiting list.  

When Benga realized she was on the waitlist, she reached out to ResLife to see if her roommate could pull her into her room with her credits and explain that she could not live off campus or commute next year. However, she was told that there was nothing they could do to help her out.  

“I felt hopeless and devastated to hear that there was nothing they could do. It was hard news for me to receive,” Benga said.  

Reitz and Proulx explained that it is too early to say how many students are on the waitlist at the moment and how many students they will be able to give housing to. 

“We do not yet have a full picture of how many new and transfer students may accept UConn’s enrollment offer, how many students who accepted housing assignments may change their minds and find other accommodations, and other factors. The waitlist is fluid and constantly changing based on these and other factors,” said Reitz and Proulx in the joint statement.  

Benga is looking to wait out the summer and see if she gets off the waiting list; however, she is unsure of what she will do if she does not receive housing.   

“I have all 8 a.m. classes next semester so being on campus would help me get to class on time. I can’t afford off-campus housing and I have nowhere to stay near campus. My house is also 2 hours away so I can’t commute,” Benga said.  

ResLife acknowledged that housing selection can be a frustrating process for a lot of students and hopes to help in any way they can. Reitz and Proulx explained that UConn is always looking to adjust its housing process to make it more efficient and help students receive optimal results.  

“While we understand that it is disappointing when a student receives a housing assignment that isn’t their preferred option, they may have a different experience in the following year and be very pleased. It is always our priority to help students have the best residential experience they can regardless of where they live,” said Reitz and Proulx.