As ODU evolves, dorm space gets tighter

NORFOLK

As Old Dominion University evolves into more of a residential college, its administrators have become more choosy in assigning dorm space, which means some returning students hoping to live on campus won’t get a room this fall.

A new housing lottery favors newer students – to increase their chances of academic success – and those with better grades and memberships in college organizations. The goal, campus administrators said, is a more active on-campus student body and vibrant atmosphere.

“It kind of evolved from the requests of students ... and to try and reinforce the president’s initiative that we try to become more residential and fill our halls with the more academically successful and involved,” said Sue Mitchell, interim assistant vice president for auxiliary services.

The new system, which does not affect incoming freshmen, is driven in part by ODU’s increasing popularity .

More than 2,000 beds in 11 buildings or complexes were to be available for returning students this fall. But with almost 450 more students applying than there were spaces for, some upperclassmen got shut out during room selection this week, which ended Wednesday – two days ahead of schedule because no rooms were left.

Ann Marie Satur, a junior from the South Pacific island of Saipan, had a high lottery number and was scheduled to pick today. She’s now looking for an off-campus apartment with her friend, De’Les Green, a sophomore from Richmond.

“They gave me zero points for geographic location,” Satur said, because she receives mail at her sister’s nearby Chesapeake address . “I want to stay on campus because I work on campus.”

Some students said they understood the rationale behind the lottery but complained that it was unfair to upperclassmen and those who don’t have time for college activities because they have to work to afford college.

“I’m sorry, but a freshman who lives in Norfolk about 10 minutes away from school needs housing a lot less than a senior from Mechanicsville,” Megan Hudgins, a junior from Suffolk, said beforehand. “I know a lot of people are worried about it.”

A relieved Francesca Autore, a freshman from Fredericksburg, snagged a room in the older Powhatan Apartments on Wednesday, when only 200 rooms remained.

“All I wanted was a room,” she said. “That was a big thing for me to come back next year.”

The lottery, which replaced a first-come, first-serve system, lined up returning sophomores, juniors and seniors based on points awarded for the qualities the school wants in its residents. The students get extra points for good grades and being active in one or more of the 200 campus organizations , and lose points if they’re sanctioned by the school conduct system. The more points, the earlier an applicant could choose housing.

The lottery also gives more points to newer students. ODU officials cited research showing that the nurturing effect of dorm life helps younger students acclimate more readily to being on their own.

Bonus points also were given to those coming to the main campus on Hampton Boulevard from beyond a “reasonable commuting distance,” which extends to Yorktown, 36 miles and 48 minutes away.

“I think we’ve tried to be creative with it and be as fair as possible,” said Christina Kaberline, interim director of student housing.

Despite the higher number of dorm sign-ups, officials still hope they’ll have enough spaces – if some students change their minds over the summer or leave school. They’ll maintain a waiting list.

Two new dorms opened last school year, and four more that will add 624 beds are under construction, but demand is rising faster than the housing.

Kaberline is aware of concerns about the weighted selection system. One student, for example, said engineering grades should count more than English because the engineering program was harder.

“We couldn’t account for everybody, because that would be impossible,” Kaberline said.

About 16 percent of ODU’s 20,800 students use university housing. President Roseann Runte has said the university’s long-range goal is for at least one-half the student population to be living on campus.

Room rates run from $3,902 to $5,500 in the dorms, and from $6,818 to $9,648 in the University Village apartments, where leases last almost 12 months.

Adding to the campus housing strain: Freshman applications are up more than a third in the past two years, with more than 10,000 expected to compete this year for 2,700 first-year spots. There are no housing requirements for freshmen. Two-thirds lived on campus this year, and 1,800 are expected to this fall. Rooms are reserved for them, outside of the lottery.

Giving housing priority to seniors – particularly if the practice keeps younger students off campus– runs counter to research showing that living on campus most helps the youngest students establish supportive bonds with peers, said Edward Spencer, associate vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

He praised ODU’s efforts: “They’re doing a very interesting and a very good thing,” he said.

Older students typically have developed other support groups, while living off-campus also helps prepare them for the real world, said Spencer, who has worked with students for almost four decades.

Several Virginia colleges, such as the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, require or guarantee on-campus housing to freshmen; Norfolk State University gives them priority.

“All the research says that students who live on campus at least the first year are more likely to graduate,” said Deb Boykin, William and Mary’s assistant vice president for student affairs and director of residence life. “You’re connected – that freshmen-hall experience is significant.”

Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com