If I am guaranteed housing, will I be assigned in the Draw?
Generally, but many guaranteed students will not be assigned housing until the Autumn Quarter Waiting List in July or Walk-ins during late August and early September. A guarantee is a pledge of housing by the end of the first week of classes for students who apply for housing by the Waiting List deadline for the term they are applying and who indicate on their application that they are willing to live in any residence for which they are eligible. (See Guaranteed Housing Plan.) Students who apply by May 4 get a first round application number that they can use in any assignment round through 2008-09 as long as they don't refuse an assignment.
If I am not guaranteed housing for the next year, can I enter the Draw anyway?
Yes. In Autumn Quarter and Spring Quarter, there are usually vacancies after the Walk-In meeting. While you are not guaranteed housing, you still have a chance of being assigned.
How do I get my random application number?
When you submit your application, a number will automatically be generated. You may see your Draw number on your application after May 8, 2008 if you apply by the draw deadline. Once you see your Draw number, you can research your choices and use last year's cut-off numbers as a general guide. You may then change your residence choices at any time before the May 11 deadline. (See The Draw or The Waiting List.) If you apply after May 4 you receive a sequential number which is higher than first round application numbers.
Do I have to submit residence choices in order to apply by the first round (May 4) deadline? You need to submit at least one residence choice in order for your application to be accepted. You can add or delete residence choices through the May 11 deadline. If you are applying for a waiting list, you can change choices through the waiting list deadline of the quarter for which you are applying.
May I draw with a friend or group of friends?
Yes, provided every member of the group has the same guarantee status and preferred year status, and each member of the group submits their application between April 21 and May 4. In order to be considered for a special priority house each member of the group must have a priority or the entire group will not be considered. You may draw with up to seven other students. (See Drawing in a Group.)
Why can't I change my group after the May 4 deadline?
The deadline to form a group was established so that your decision to draw as a group would be based on your desire to live with your friends and would not be driven by an application number (good or bad!).
What happens if some group members want to be kept together through more choices than others?
The assignment program will try to keep group members together through the retention choices that you list on your application. You can choose to stay together as a group through from your first choice to your sixteenth choice. Jill and Jane want to be kept together through their first four choices, Karen wants to be kept together only through her first two. The assignment program will try to put Jill, Jane, and Karen together for their first two choices. If that is not possible, it will then try to keep Jill and Jane together through their first four choices.
What happens if some group members change their "group retention" choice?
The assignment program will attempt to keep group members together through the Nth choice they have designated the same.
Is there any drawback to indicating that I want to be kept together with my group?
It depends on whether you value an assignment to a specific residence over an assignment with your drawmates.
Will the group retention feature prevent my group from getting split?
This group retention feature is designed to reduce the chances that your group will be split. However, it will not prevent all groups from being split. Groups will still get split, particularly at the cut-offs for residences.
What happens if my group lists an "any" choice, i.e. Any Flo Mo?
Your group may be split between the residences that make up Any Flo Mo. For example, some members of your group may get into Loro and others into Mirlo. The assignment program considers an "any" choice one residence for the purposes of keeping groups together including the final choice, "Assign me to Any Residence for which I am eligible".
May I draw with a student who currently lives off campus or in a fraternity/sorority?
Yes, you may draw with any student eligible to enter the Draw who has the same guarantee or unpreferred year status. Please note, however, that for a fraternity or sorority member to join the University housing system and apply for assignment through Housing Assignments, he/she would have to be released to the Draw by their chapter to regain eligibility for University, Draw-filled housing. Fraternity and Sorority members always apply unpreferred.
May I draw with a student who is overseas or stopped out?
Yes, if you have the same guarantee and preferred year status and the student lists your group name and group password on his or her application.
May I draw with a student who will be returning to campus in a different quarter?
No. The assignment process for any given quarter is a separate entity from other quarters.
How do I draw in a group for Winter or Spring Quarter?
If you form and join a group by the May 4 deadline, you and your group members will receive a first round number which you will be able to see in your housing application after May 8, 2008. Your residence choices, however, can be changed up until the deadline to enter the Waiting List for a given quarter. Be advised that there are no cut-off numbers to use as guidelines for any of the Waiting List rounds since students are assigned based solely on the available vacancies in the system. It is unlikely that group members will be assigned together during Waiting List rounds.
If you submit a Waiting List application after the May 4 deadline and form or join a group, you will receive the same sequential number as other group members based on the date that the last group member applied. Please note that since Waiting List numbers are generated sequentially after all applications are in, you will not be able to see your number until assignment results are available. Groups need to consist of students with either first round draw numbers or sequential numbers. A group cannot include students with both first round and sequential numbers.
What happens if my group gets assigned to different residences?
If your group was split in the May Draw round, you may submit a written request to be reunited at Housing Assignments by Friday, May 30, 2008. Special attempts will be made over the summer to assign all group members to the same house provided all members are of the same sex, have the same priorities, list the same choices in the same order and petition by the deadline. In other words, a group must have done everything possible to be kept together to be eligible to file a split group petition. (See Drawing in a Group.)
What if our group gets split after the Autumn Quarter Waiting List?
You have until August 1, 2008 to file a split group petition to be reunited (if you were not offered assignment in the Draw). During Waiting List rounds, however, there is very little likelihood that group members can be placed together, and there are no guarantees that groups can be reunited.
If a member of my group drops out, can our group find a replacement?
With the exception of groups drawing for the Suites, no group member substitutions can be made. Groups drawing for the Suites may petition at Housing Assignments only in cases where a member of the group has withdrawn from the group to accept a staff position. Residence staff appointments will be announced before the deadline to join a group so this would only be considered in special cases.
If a group member wants to withdraw from the group but is not doing so because they are taking a residence staff position, we cannot remove the group information. The group member should just change his/her residence choices and select that they do not want to be "retained" with the rest of the group through any choices.
If I do not want a housing assignment for Autumn Quarter, but want housing either Winter or Spring Quarter, what should I do?
You should join the Waiting List for the appropriate quarter. To do so you should complete a Waiting List application in Axess (or, if appropriate, an absentee application). If you join the Waiting List for Winter or Spring Quarter assignment by May 4, 2008, you receive a random application number just like students who enter the Draw for an Autumn Quarter assignment. (See The Waiting List.) Note: If you join the Waiting List after the May 4 deadline, you receive a sequential Draw number.
If I am reassigned in the Autumn Waiting List round, and do not want my new assignment, can I keep my original assignment?
No. Once you are reassigned, your original assignment is simultaneously assigned to another student. Because the Waiting List reassignment process only takes into consideration the residence choices you list on your reassignment application, only list residence options that you would accept. If you are not reassigned to any of the residence choices you indicated, you retain your original assignment. The cancellation fee (after accepting your original Draw assignment) is $200 at the time the Waiting List results are announced.
Is there a limit to the number of special priorities I can collect?
Yes. Each student may collect a maximum of eight special priorities.
Do we need a priority for the Governor's Corner Suites? The suites no longer require a priority but you do need to have exactly four or six people in your group. Your group also needs to be either all male or all female. Your group also needs to have the same guaranteed and preferred/unpreferred status.
Can I obtain special priorities after the Draw?
No. Special priorities are issued during Spring Quarter only and must be requested by April 25, 2008.
Can I collect priorities for another student?
No. Special priorities are only extended to students who visit or write to a house and complete the requirements to obtain the priority.
How do priorities affect my housing assignment?
A programmatic priority that you collect by the April 25 deadline will serve as a Draw "trump" that will give you the advantage to be assigned to the house with the priority over someone with even the best Draw number (if you list the house specifically on your application). Be aware, however, that having a priority does not affect your chances of being part of the "assignable pool." If you were going to get an assignment anyway based on your guarantee/preferred status and you list specifically the house for which you have a priority, your chances of getting into that house are better than someone without a priority with the best Draw number.
Do I have to sign a contract?
Yes. All students sign the Residence Agreement when they apply for housing. Once they are assigned to housing, it obligates them to live somewhere in University housing for the entire 2008-09 academic year, as long as they are enrolled students. (See Term of Occupancy and About the Residence Agreement.)
May I be released from my housing contract during the academic year?
Generally not. The Residence Agreement you sign is for the entire academic year and the conditions of the agreement include liability for rent. You may be released from your housing contract only if you graduate, attend a Stanford program away from the home campus, or terminate your registration. (See Term of Occupancy.) Students who leave the residential system and remain eligible for University housing are charged the "contract breaker" rent, which for undergraduates is the room rent for a standard dormitory minus a board bill.
Are roommates assigned in the Draw?
No. Students are assigned in the Draw only to residences, not to specific rooms. Each residence determines its own room/roommate assignment policies and procedures. Assignments to specific rooms are made under the direction of the local residence office. In some residences, room/roommate procedures are delegated to Resident Assistants or house officers, or are determined by house residents. A number of residences hold meetings or distribute preference forms to begin room/roommate selection for Autumn Quarter after the results of the Draw are announced in late May. In all cases, no room/roommate assignments are final until after students have moved into their assigned residences. (See Room and Roommate Assignments.)
How can I be assigned to a room with a roommate who will understand my lifestyle so that we can live comfortably together?
Room assignments are managed by the residence office or designated house staff. You may want to draw with someone who will understand your needs and "network" with community centers on campus to find someone with common interests. For example, make contact with students in clubs and organizations (such as El Centro, the Women's Center or the LGBT-CRC), religious groups (such as the Jewish Student Association or the Islamic Society), or talk to students in your major department. If you decide to draw alone, make sure you communicate your needs and preferences with your roommate(s) so that expectations are clear from the beginning. Use your RA or Residence Dean as a resource in setting up a good roommate relationship.
Students interested in living with a specific roommate of the opposite gender should try to get assigned to one of the four houses where we will allow gender neutral housing this year (Castano, Mirrielees, Terra or Narnia).
What are my chances of getting a single?
It depends very much on your residence. Often times, the majority of singles go to exempt residence staff. Please refer to the Residence Chart to get a more accurate number of singles that may be available during in-house draws. These numbers are approximate and may vary due to additional exempt assignments.
Is there an administrative fee for cancelling an assignment?
Yes, you are charged between $50 and $400 depending on when you cancel the assignment. (See The Draw or The Waiting List.)
If I am applying for a 2008-09 Resident Assistant position, should I participate in the Draw?
Resident Assistant appointments are announced on Thursday, May 1, 2008, before the deadline to enter the Draw. You should contact the Office of Residential Education on May 1 to determine if you received an appointment and then only enter the Draw if you were not appointed or if you decline your appointment. Before the applicable deadlines, you should join a group (if you want to draw with other students), visit open houses, and collect special priorities in the event that you do not subsequently receive a Resident Assistant position.
How will the Freshman-Sophomore Residential College at Sterling Quad be filled?
If you are a current freshman who wishes to participate in Freshman-Sophomore Residential College, you should rank Adams and/or Schiff as top choices in your Draw application. You should also obtain a priority by filling out a priority application. Adams and Schiff will be filled in the Draw according to these priorities.
How will the Language, Culture, and Academic Theme houses be filled?
Because it is hoped that the houses will be filled with priority residents, we will be pre-assigning students who meet the priority criteria for each house. Students will use a preferred year Row houses for the pre-assignments. If they do not have a preferred year, we will use their unpreferred year. Students interested in taking advantage of the pre-assignment will need to pick up an application at the the appropriate residence office or click on the following link and submit the form to the residence office by April 23, 2008. Link to Pre-Assignment form.
In addition these houses will grant draw priorities to these houses. Priorities need to be collected by Friday, April 25.
If I am considering pledging a residential fraternity or sorority, should I enter the Draw?
Fraternity bids are announced on April 21, 2008, and sorority bids are announced on April 8, 2008. Fraternity bids need to be accepted by April 23 and sorority bids need to be accepted by April 8, 2008. If you accept a bid to a residential fraternity or sorority where you have been offered a space in the house, you may not enter the Draw this year. (See Residential Fraternities and Sororities.) You are, however, required to sign the Residence Agreement as a condition of accepting a bid to a residential fraternity or sorority.
May I live in a University residence if I am not an enrolled student?
No. Since on-campus housing is intended only for enrolled students, non-enrolled students are not assigned. Any exceptions are made at the discretion of Housing Assignments. Seniors who are graduating should contact Housing Assignments for more information regarding exceptions. (See Eligibility.)
What would Housing Assignments offer for advice for a successful Draw season?
Read all of the Undergraduate Housing Web pages . There have been changes implemented for the 2008 Draw. If you have questions about any new policies or procedures contact your Housing Front Desk or the Housing Assignments staff at (650) 725-2810 or email housingassignments@lists.stanford.edu.
What if I encounter problems after I take occupancy of my space?
May we use Group Retention if we apply as a group on the Winter or Spring waiting lists?
No. Group retention is only used on the first round of the Draw and the Waiting List during the Summer - Not during the waiting lists for Winter and Spring.
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