Resident life, students speak out after housing selections

by Nicholas Burch assistant news editor

On Sunday, April 18, the housing lottery was held. It left some students breathing a sigh of relief, and others gasping for breath as they decided their fate for next year.

According to Anne Miller, sophomore, blame for this year's housing confusion does not rest on the shoulders of Resident Life.

"Students put forth the criteria," Miller said. "[The point system] was all student done."

Miller, who sat in on the housing committee's meetings, defended the point system.

''This wasn't something that Resident Life did by themselves," Miller said.

According to Cathy Caulfield, Resident

Life director, the process was developed by students and agreed upon by the students.

Caulfield says the actual process of choosing housing went smooth.

"I wish we were in position to offer housing for everyone," Caulfield said.

First-year student Erika Nelson says the point system has its flaws. "I was the third one to pick and I'm still in Xavier," Nelson said. "Unless you had a quad, you didn't get into the houses and no doubles got in the houses."

Caulfield says that 60 students are closed out of housing. People will withdraw from residence halls and some students on the waiting list will get housing.

But what about those students that do not get housing?

Some places to explore are apartments off campus, and if some students do find off campus housing, it will open up spaces for other students on the waiting list.

According to Caulfield there were 10 groups of students that applied for the apartments that did not get them, but they still received housing.

"Students feel that people who are here at Cabrini now should be taken care of first," Caulfield said. "But they forget that spaces were held for them when they were coming into Cabrini."

Students developed the point system to avoid the problems of the previous years.

"Students liked the point system," Caulfield said.

According to Caulfield, they will take the process and try to work it out. The list of issues that the housing committee is addressing are the possibilities of G.P.A., distance from home, and if the student is transferring from another college. takes my place.

It should go by G.P.A.," Nelson said. "At any other school, students with better grades get better housing."

We'll bring the [housing committee] back and talk about what to do in the future," Caulfield said.

Caulfield says she understands why students feel the rules were changed in the middle of the game.

"I'm interested in ideas and what people have to say," Caulfield said.

While students ponder the possibilities of not having Cabrini provide them with housing for next year, Caulfield does not want the students to feel that Resident Life is the reason for the confusion.

"I want to be in a position to take care of students for the four years they are here," Caulfield said.