Students interested in living in the apartments can apply on Monday, Feb. 19, in the Residence Life office in the Busch Memorial Center.

“This is the same process, only simplified,” said Jennifer Edwards, program director of Residence Life. “We wanted to eliminate the mystery.”

Two applications will be available, one for current apartment residents and one for students applying to move into the apartments.

The application for students to move into the apartments have three requirements. First, the student must be a current residential student. This is generally defined as a student living in housing during the spring 2001 semester, according to the application. This means that commuters cannot be “pulled-in” to the apartments and cannot apply on their own.

The next two requirements deal with academics. A student must have completed 30 credit hours at the time of application. This basically means that no current freshman can be a roommate addition or apply. Also, a student must have at least a 2.0 grade point average at the time of application.

“Better students get the advantage,” said Leonard Jones, director of the Department of Residence Life.

Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be considered, according to Jones.

The reason for all these strict regulations is simple: space. “There are a finite number of spaces,” Jones said. “More people want to live there than there are zero spaces.”

Last year, there was a slightly different application process with the possibility of commuters being “penciled in.” This did not guarantee them a space to live in the apartments, but it created some conflicts, according to Edwards.

To avoid confusion, Residence Life did away with the “penciling in” system. Edwards said, “We want to say, `That’s your spot.'”

Three things are going to impact the applications this year, according to Jones. First, the cost increase in all on-campus housing may force more students to live off campus. Second, the off-campus housing fair will provide students with information on apartments in the St. Louis area.

The third and final factor is the agreement for no loud parties in the apartments. “This has always been on the application, but we’re emphasizing it this year,” Jones said. “Apartment living is a privilege. Students need to respect their neighbors.”

“If students are willing to pay the cost and abide by the rules, why shouldn’t they have the option,” Jones continued. “It’s a fair reward for good students.”

This year, Residence Life is stressing the importance of deadlines. “Last year, some students missed the deadline probably by a day or two,” Jones said. “It’s unfair for people who did make the deadline.”

The roommate addition forms, formally the “pull-in” sheet, are due on Feb. 28. March 1 is the deadline for regular students applying to live in either the Village or Marchetti apartments.

Edwards’ advice to students: “If the deadline is the 28, turn it in on the 27.”