New Junior Housing Lottery Resolution

RHA Supported, 41:1 with 0 abstentions, to revise the 3rd Year Housing Lottery. While still maintaining the randomness and blindness of the lottery, this resolution supports structuring it so those with up to one probation are higher in the lottery system than those with two or more. Remember Lottery System is different than priority system . Below is some clarification as to what a probation really is and what this resolution supports.

If the Dept of Resident Life adopts our revisions, they will take place for next year's lottery.

Best,

Josef K. Mensah
RHA President


[The following is an excerpt from RHA Senate Meeting 04/13/2010, recorded by Corie Stretton, RHA Administrative Officer]

Resolution YEL005

· Title: A Resolution Supporting a Junior Lottery System Based on Severity and Number of Infractions ·

Summary: Those with two probations or more be lowered in the Junior Lottery System and those who are already on probation entering the next academic year, will have to receive one more probation in order for lower placement.

· Clarification on Terminology

o A-Level Violation

§ The most serious ResLife violation. Examples include violence against another resident and marijuana.

o Probation

§ Examples include underage drinking and noise complaints. Technically, individually they are B-violations, but they are usually combined and called a probation.

o Receiving a violation

§ A-level violations require a hearing and being found responsible for the violation.

§ Probations are given after you speak to your RD about the situation, and you may be placed on probation.

o There isn’t any confusion for students who receive either of these violations. They know whether they are on probation or have an A-level violation.

o Questions:

§ Who determines when you are put on probation?

· It comes down to the RD’s decision.

§ Can you describe what “found responsible” means?

· It would depend on your hearing. It’s equivalent to being found guilty.

§ Nothing has really changed in the resolution, right?

· Not really, we just changed the vocabulary. There aren’t any major substantive changes.

§ What if I was having a party in my room and had three B-level violations at once? Would I go on probation three separate times?

· No, you would have one probation for the entire event.

§ You can get a noise violation without being on probation, right?

· Yes. You will get a letter if you’re on probation.

· Questions:

o Can you clarify the distinction again referring to grandfathering violations?

§ There’s two groups of people. People who commit violations after this is passed, and people who committed violations before this passed. The second group as a “one strike and you’re out” view, where if you’re put on probation one more time you’re out. The first group will be out if they have an A-level violation or are put on probation.

o How is this different from how it currently is? How is the lottery numbers different than priority numbers.

§ Lottery numbers are assigned to all rising third year students to let them know if they are invited back to housing, they are now randomly assigned. Priority numbers are assigned after it is determined you can live on campus.

o If someone committed a violation once before this resolution passes, then they get one more chance before it affects them? What if they’ve been put on probation twice?

§ The resolution says one or more. Even if you’re committed several, you still get one last chance, and if you get one more violation then you’re [lowered on the list].

o How will students be informed about this?

§ It will become a part of Dept of Resident Life policy, and will be explained when you’re told how you can be kicked out of housing.

System, Please Hear Us

Oh, sweet farce. Gina Sagar says what many are thinking.

President Mote and University administration have clearly done a remarkable job at improving the quality of education here in the last decade and change, or so (no. 54 in 2008, according to US News). They should be applauded.

And the Fridge has taken our boys to a bunch of bowls this century and has been rewarded with a few few-million-dollar renovations to Byrd. The Athletics Department is quick to point out that the renovation will pay for itself, however. That does provide some comfort.

But while System was approving the loan for non-essential athletics improvements, Denton's pipes were a ticking time bomb. And maybe President Mote didn't know, but with the fantastic academic improvements he was attracting the nation's most promising students to a place that would likely not satisfy their desire for a high quality of life.

Resident students are tired of hearing about the housing crisis and about all the as-yet unfulfilled promises. When will System feel the urgency with which we feel this crisis? There is not enough housing here and lots of the housing we've got is leaking and hot and cold and crowded.

We, the students, do not only urge approval of the projects to come before System in the coming months and years... but we ask, with hope and with humility, to have our voice heard and our needs met, to have our university improved with new beds and renovation of the buildings around those already in existence.

System approves new housing projects based on a principle of taking turns, yielding priority in building new housing in places like Towson (click on West Village Housing Construction - Updates), while the demand in College Park outstrips that of almost anywhere. This is the wrong way to operate. In practice, goods should be delivered where the demand is highest. We need housing here in College Park!

Update: I sent a link to this post specifically and one to the blog in general to System today at 12:26PM.

Posted by: Sumner Handy, President