How fair is the process used to assign housing for students? Here’s what we heard

By The Spartan staff

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING is among any college’s biggest draws, and that’s certainly the case at York College.

Per the school website, first-year students are typically placed into traditional halls while upperclassman students have the opportunity to choose several options, including traditional halls, suites, apartments, and houses. “We provide these in an effort to promote personal growth and independence,” the website says.

Among the goals that the school has in place is to make improvements to its present buildings while looking at developing a “first-year village” for new students, per a recent conversation with Dr. Richard Satterlee, the Dean of Student Development and Campus Life. More on the plans will be covered in a soon-to-be-published story.

Off his meeting with The Spartan staff, we decided to ask students the following: Is the way YCP assigns housing situations for residents a fair or good process? If not, what could be improved?

Here are the responses we received.

Kaire Banks is a freshman in nursing at YCP. When asked about student housing, Banks responded that he thought the housing situation was fine. Banks said, “This year, which was genuinely great, I resided in a single dorm because I don’t have a roommate.” Banks also said, “When they do give you roommates, I believe they make every effort to match you with a good person. I have heard positive things about the roommate matching service.” Banks noted that he was glad there were many chances for students to get the room they wanted.

Gabby Irizzary, a freshman majoring in human services, had stopped by Grumbacher gym to work out. When interviewed, she said that “I think there are aspects of fairness and unfairness to the housing selection process.” One aspect of the housing process she thinks is fair is that room selection is a first-come-first-served basis. On the flip side, she thought that selection times opening by grade was unfair. Despite this, she said, “I am just glad I got the room I wanted with the people I wanted, so because of this I think it was fair enough.”

— Hayley Leitzinger

Liv Schenk is a sophomore on the women’s golf team and is a nursing major and expressed some concerns about how the choosing is done. “No, it is an unfair process that is the right idea but poorly executed,” she said. “It should be done by credits and if you are an athlete. That way people with more credits are not lost with a bad lottery number.”

A mechanical engineering major and member of the men’s lacrosse team, Trey Snodgrass said he believes that “athletes should get first pick at housing. I also think that how the time slots work makes it difficult with people having class during the selection process and multiple people going for the same room at the same time.”

— AJ Apel

Sara Purdon, a junior Theater major, was pretty concise when responding to the question. “I definitely think we need more accommodations and heat for people,” she said.

When visiting a club I attend, I saw Marilyn Damord working on an essay. She is a campus resident. “Though I can’t speak for everyone, I think the whole lottery and scattered housing selection days is okay for now,” she said, “but the accessible and gender inclusive housing could be improved and made easier for people who need it.”

— Evie Giffin

Alex Maher is a junior Supply Chain major who has lived on campus his entire college career. He believes that the school should adjust how it prioritizes housing. “Organizing who gets to choose where they live by the amount of credits you have to me is unfair,” he said. “You can be a junior with less credits then a sophomore and they get to pick before you. I would ask that York adjust those fine-line issues and allow those of higher class best priority.”

Hayden Dextraduer, a junior Sport Management student, said he believes that the process could be improved but is in general fair. “I think overall the process is decent but I wouldn’t necessarily say fair because of the squatters rights,” he said. “It’s not a true lottery system with the squatters. That took away 75% of the new apartments, which to me is unfair in its own right.”

Clara Weber, a junior Mass Communications major, has a different opinion on housing. “I think the way YCP assigns housing is fair,” she said. “I’m not really sure how other schools manage it, but I’ve personally never run into any issues and all of my roommates who I’ve lived with for three years would all say the same.”

Alex Soriano, a senior Mass Communication major, expressed mixed feelings about the housing arrangements. “I believe that YCP assigns housing is mediocre at best but they should definitely allow seniority from seniors first to freshman last. Also I believe that they should make sure to accommodate students who prefer to have a kitchen, because that is a detrimental utility in a space to live. Some students struggle with that. To improve, they should get to know their students that are accepted even more to have the best outcome of housing.”

— Julian Leon

With the housing selection process wrapping up over the past few weeks, housing has been a very common conversation among friends. Some have even brought into question how fair the selection process is.

“I feel like it is fair,” sophomore Accounting major Marly Kenawell said, “since they make it in a way that people can squat in their original rooms if they are upperclassmen. Also depending on how early your application is put in. Also, it corresponds to the grade and their GPA, so the higher GPA would technically have ‘first’ choice.”

Added junior Biology major Ayla Mendez: “In my point of view, I think the lottery system is unorganized and unfair. In some cases, people that have accessibility issues are not receiving the housing they need, and the school simply doing nothing about it. Additionally, people that need housing that includes space for five is taken up quickly and create more trouble with splitting up and figuring out where to go from there. People with special needs should be accommodated and be the first priority in receiving lottery numbers.”