The Department of Residence Life is considering putting community space, such as lounges and study areas, back into the halls that experienced the housing crunch over the summer. If this happens, 120-140 spaces would no longer be available for student housing.

“No definite decisions have been made, but we will know soon,” said Leonard Jones, director of Residence Life. “We are waiting on other developments to clear.”

Jones said that any changes for the fall would be communicated to the RHA as soon as possible.

This fall’s freshman class is expected to be either roughly equal to or greater than last year’s entering class.

“We are trying to prepare the housing situation for both scenarios, either the same number of students or more students,” Jones said.

Residence Life is working with the Greek community concerning the residents of DeMattias Hall.

“We will sit down with the Greek community and discuss the options so the students will have some input,” Jones added. “DeMatt will stay how it is right now.”

“I hope that DeMatt can be thought of as an exclusively Greek community,” said Sarah Ehrhardt, resident of DeMattias.

With the change in policy regarding fifth-year seniors, Residence Life has experienced a reaction from the student body.

“Students are expressing how they are personally being impacted by any decisions made by Residence Life,” Jones said. “It is fair to give every student every opportunity we can, given our current circumstances.”

Jones said that exceptions will be made by looking at the individual student, evaluating the entire system and working to strike the right balance between both. Residence Life is trying to keep things simplified to let everyone know how they stand and keep the students aware of the situation.