There were several shifts in the housing process this year, but according to the new Director of Housing and Residence Life, Joshua Walehwa, the process was not shaken. Instead, sign-ups are going according to plan.
“For all that has changed, it’s been a successful transition,” Walehwa said. “Apart from a small glitch in the beginning, everything is going well.”
This year, the majority of the housing sign up process moved to an online format. Students could view their lottery numbers, their housing appointments and the actual sign up on the Saint Louis University website.
Walehwa stated that one of the biggest goals in housing this year was to keep the process as transparent as possible. Multiple information sessions were held prior to the start of sign up, and detailed instructions were posted on the Housing and Residence Life website.
“Communication has been essential for us this year, and I think that is why we are off to a good start,” Walehwa said.
According to Vice President of Student Development Kent Porterfield, upperclassmen housing moved to a lottery system based on previous feedback that student were unhappy with the old process. No spots were reserved for upperclassmen, but those applying to stay on campus were given a pick of any of the spots still opened.
As of April 6, 541 of 673 lottery spots had been filled for upperclassmen housing. Residence Life will have the final number after late applicants sign up, along with any transfer students who may apply.
Another difference that affected the housing process this year was the reallocation of the $2,000 housing scholarship to a merit-based award. This change came in the wake of requiring both freshmen and sophomore classes to live on campus. Previously, students who chose to live off campus had to forfeit this part of their scholarship. Now, students can live move off campus with out the risk of losing scholarship money.
Despite this, Walehwa said numbers do not indicate that more students than usual are choosing off campus housing.
“The numbers are on par with last year,” Walewha said. “We had just over 2,000 applicants this year.”
Frontdoor Apartments, a housing company with several buildings around SLU’s campus, including the Coronado Place and Lindell-Vandeventer apartments, said that they did not see an increase in students using their services, but they did notice students applying earlier.
“It may be that they knew earlier that they could live off campus or maybe that they realized the best units in the best buildings rent quickly, so they wanted to get their pick.”
Walehwa believes that some students prefer to live on campus because of the wider variety of services provided.
“There are great property owners around here, but juniors and seniors tend to want more with their housing,” Walewha said.
According to Walewha, academic programs and learning communities tend to be incentives for students to stay on-campus. Additionally, Housing and Residence Life works closer with the student to ensure the best possible experience.
“If you don’t like your roommate, a landlord won’t care,” Walehwa said. “They’re focused on keeping things running in the building and collecting rent. We try to help students with things like that.”
Some students were not totally satisfied with the restructured process, however. Sophomore Theresa Semmelmayer received the first slot in the lottery but was held up by the initial glitch on the first day of sign ups.
“The process was frustrating,” Semmelmayer said. “The website didn’t work for an hour and a half, and I was on hold with Res life for an hour. Being number one didn’t really help.”
Walewha said that in the future, he hopes to utilize more student input to make the housing process a better and more user-friendly experience.
