2008-2009 Returning Student Housing Assignment Process (HAP)

Round One Assignments: Final TH Assignments

We have now completed the final portion of the 2008-2009 Townhouse Apartment HAP. We were able to provide apartments for Townhouse HAP Groups B01 - B72. All members of Townhouse HAP Groups B73 - B79 have received an e-mail outlining their housing options and waitlist availability.

All students who have been assigned to an apartment should read the following information carefully:

1.  You have received your apartment assignment based on the current size of your HAP group. The RPS office reserves the right to make changes to apartment assignments if your group size changes. Example One: A group that shrinks from 6 to 5 members could be moved from a 6-person apartment to a 5-person apartment. Example Two: Groups that reduce to 50% percent or less of their original size may be consolidated with another group in order to fill one apartment in its entirety. The RPS office also reserves the right to make changes to individual and/or group assignments based on judicial outcomes and in response to student behavior that demonstrates an inability to live in an independent living situation that requires the appropriate upkeep of the apartment under your care. This could include issues involving cleanliness and damages.

2.  If you have created a coed apartment, you are reminded that you are responsible for finding your own replacement(s) if anyone drops out of your group (now and during the 2008-2009 academic year). We generally try to give apartments in this situation 1 - 2 weeks to find a replacement, HOWEVER, certain times of the year (like right before we open each semester) may require finding a replacement within 48-72 hours. Apartments that are not able to find a replacement in time, may need to revert to a single sex apartment and the students who do not meet the new sex designation will need to relocate.

3.  If you formed a 21+ apartment through the HAP process, your ability to remain a 21+ apartment is based on your ability to make sure that all the residents in your apartment maintain that age status. If you lose one of your members to (for example) a withdrawal from school, RPS cannot guarantee that we will be able to find a 21+ replacement. If we can't and you can't, the apartment will revert to an "under 21" apartment status.

4.  Your group has been placed in the bedroom assignments that you provided us on your Preference Form. If you want to change bedroom assignments within your apartment (now or anytime during the 2008-2009 academic year), you need to do that formally through our office. You cannot just switch around bedroom assignments on your own. Rosters, phones, bedroom condition and other important information is all bedroom-based. Students who make room changes within or between apartments without formal approval will be required to change back to their original assignment and will be billed an Illegal Room/Apartment Change Fee of $50.

5.  RPS guest policies are the same for ALL three residence areas, including the Townhouses. Overnight guest passes are required for all visitors staying in the Complex beyond 11:00 pm on any given night.

6.  By accepting your assignment, you are accepting a commitment to live on campus for the entire 2008-2009 academic year (unless you graduate in December or withdraw from MCLA).

Round One Assignments: TH Groups B01-B62

We are happy to announce specific apartment assignments for Townhouse HAP Groups with ranks B1 - B62. Find your group's rank....or if you don't know your group's rank, find your group spokesperson's name. To the right of that information, you will find your 2008-2009 apartment number. (Please read the "Important Information for All Groups Who Receive an Apartment Assignment" below.)

If your group rank is between B63 - B79, your group spokesperson will receive a separate e-mail from the RPS office on Wednesday, April 9th. Please do not panic! Just because you are not receiving an apartment assignment today, it does not necessarily mean that your group will not get an apartment. Things just start to get a little more complicated beginning with B63 and we need to work with each group individually to get the right fit between the group and the apartment-style.

If you are a member of Townhouse HAP groups B63 - B79, you need to wait to hear from us on Wednesday. PLEASE do not start writing us e-mails about "your odds." This will only prevent us from appropriately preparing for our contact with you on Wednesday. We appreciate your cooperation on this request.

Important Information for All Groups Who Receive An Apartment Assignment:

1.  You have received your apartment assignment based on the current size of your HAP group. The RPS office reserves the right to make changes to apartment assignments if your group size changes. Example One: A group that shrinks from 6 to 5 members could be moved from a 6-person apartment to a 5-person apartment. Example Two: Groups that reduce to 50% percent or less of their original size may be consolidated with another group in order to fill one apartment in its entirety. The RPS office also reserves the right to make changes to individual and/or group assignments based on judicial outcomes and in response to student behavior that demonstrates an inability to live in an independent living situation that requires the appropriate upkeep of the apartment under your care. This could include issues involving cleanliness and damages.

2.  If you have created a coed apartment, you are reminded that you are responsible for finding your own replacement(s) if anyone drops out of your group (now and during the 2008-2009 academic year). We generally try to give apartments in this situation 1 - 2 weeks to find a replacement, HOWEVER, certain times of the year (like right before we open each semester) may require finding a replacement within 48-72 hours. Apartments that are not able to find a replacement in time, may need to revert to a single sex apartment and the students who do not meet the new sex designation will need to relocate.

3.  If you formed a 21+ apartment through the HAP process, your ability to remain a 21+ apartment is based on your ability to make sure that all the residents in your apartment maintain that age status. If you lose one of your members to (for example) a withdrawal from school, RPS cannot guarantee that we will be able to find a 21+ replacement. If we can't and you can't, the apartment will revert to an "under 21" apartment status.

4.  Your group has been placed in the bedroom assignments that you provided us on your Preference Form. If you want to change bedroom assignments within your apartment (now or anytime during the 2008-2009 academic year), you need to do that formally through our office. You cannot just switch around bedroom assignments on your own. Rosters, phones, bedroom condition and other important information is all bedroom-based. Students who make room changes within or between apartments without formal approval will be required to change back to their original assignment and will be billed an Illegal Room/Apartment Change Fee of $50.

5.  RPS guest policies are the same for ALL three residence areas, including the Townhouses. Overnight guest passes are required for all visitors staying in the Complex beyond 11:00 pm on any given night.

6.  By accepting your assignment, you are accepting a commitment to live on campus for the entire 2008-2009 academic year (unless you graduate in December or withdraw from MCLA).

7.  If you decide that you want to change your on-campus assignment, you can place your name on the "2008-2009 Waiting List" in the RPS office. This list will remain active until August 1, 2008 

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The Assignment Phase: Round One

Okay. Thanks to all of you who turned in your preference forms on time. You are now officially part of Round One of the Assignment Phase. 

If you are one of the 8 groups who was awarded a premium single, your apartments have already been assigned. Apartments were awarded in the order previously communicated to you. 

If you are in a regular Townhouse group, your individual ranks have been averaged into a group rank. There are 79 groups in total. B1 has the highest rank and will be assigned first; B2 has the next highest rank and will be assigned second, etc.  Look through the list and find the name of your group's spokesperson. Next to his/her name, you will find your group's "B" number. Assignments to specific apartments will be announced during the week of April 7th.

If you are applying for a room in Berkshire Towers or Hoosac Hall, you will receive an individual rank during the week of April 14th. Assignments to specific rooms in BT and HH will be announced later that same week.

If you completed Step #1 of the overall HAP (completion and submission of your Residence Area Occupancy Agreement and $100 Room Reservation Deposit) after the 2/27 deadline, you will be contacted about selecting an on-campus assignment during the week of April 21st.

If you are seeking on-campus housing and still have not completed Step #1, please do so ASAP. You will find the information and forms you need down below under the heading "Did you miss the very first deadline?." (Scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to find this section.)

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The Preference Form Phase (Deadline: 4/2/08) 

We are happy to report we received over 600 Residence Area Occupancy Agreements from current students interested in living on campus during the 2008-2009 academic year. Thanks to all of you who completed the first phase of the returning student HAP!! Now it's time to move on to the second phase which consists of determining specific assignments.

Here's an overview of what takes place next....

1.  You need to decide where you want to live.

2.  If you want to live in Hoosac Hall or Berkshire Towers, you need to complete a BT/HH Preference Form and bring it to the RPS office no later than Wednesday, April 2nd. (Please note change in previously published date.)

3.  If you want to live in the Flagg Townhouse Apartment Complex, you need to form a group of 5 or 6 individuals, select a group spokesperson, complete a TH Preference Form and bring it to the RPS office no later than Wednesday, April 2nd. (Please note change in previously published date.)

4.  Assignments to specific rooms and/or apartments will be posted on First Class during the week of April 7th.

....And the answers to some typical questions:

1.  Do we need to form a full group of 5 or 6 individuals to vie for an apartment?

Yes. You must choose the apartment size that you want and form a full group to fill it. We just set up a brand new gig on the First Class MCLA Bulletin Board called "RPS Housing Connections." If you need people to fill your group OR you are looking to join a group, post a message on the site.

2.  Can students who are transferring to MCLA this fall join our group?

No. This is a returning student HAP. All students participating in this process must be currently enrolled at MCLA. So.....if a student is on Study Abroad or on an off-site internship and is enrolled at MCLA, they can participate. If a student is on a Leave of Absence, withdrew from MCLA or has not yet enrolled for classes at MCLA, that person cannot participate. New transfers and freshmen need to go through the summer housing assignment process.

3.  Can we form a coed townhouse?

Yes. If everyone in your group has been in college for a minimum of two years, you can form a coed townhouse. You should really take a moment and think about it first. Remember, if you have a vacancy in the house later on, you are responsible for filling it....and filling it quickly. If you can't, you may need to revert to a single gender apartment and some folks are going to need to re-locate. Also, it may sound great to live in an apartment with your partner....but what if you break up? (Yes, the same holds true for living with same sex partners in regular THs!) Some coed townhouses work out great. Some have lots of issues. Again, it's important to really give it some thought before you travel down that road.

4.  Can we form a 21+ townhouse?

Yes. If everyone in your group will be 21 or older by September 1, 2008, you are eligible for a 21+ apartment from the day we open in September. In 21+ apartments, the consumption of alcohol is allowable if everyone present is 21 years of age or older. We update the 21+ apartment list every month. If everyone in your apartment turns 21 after September 1, 2008, you should go to the RPS office to get instructions on how to change your status.

5.  Can someone who didn't go through the first phase of the HAP join our group?

No. At this point, you need to form groups with the 600+ students who are already in the process. Returning students who have yet to complete first phase paperwork will need to wait until the second phase of HAP is complete. If you are one of those students, you will find the instructions and forms that you need way below under the heading "Did you miss the first deadline?" Don't worry. We guarantee that you will get a space on campus. It just may not be your first preference housing choice.

6.  We want 2 single rooms, but we only have 5 people. Can a group of 5 go into a 6-person apartment?

No. If you want 2 singles in your apartment, you must form a group of 6 and vie for a 6-person apartment.

7.  We have a group of 5, but we only want to be in a three-bedroom apartment (2 doubles and a single), not a two-bedroom one (1 double and a triple). How does that work?

If you form a group of 5, you must take the style of apartment that is available when your group rank comes up for apartment assignment. The higher your group rank, the more likely you are to get the apartment style you prefer. You will notice that we require you to provide us with bedroom assignments for both kinds of 5-person apartments on the TH preference form.

8.  What about that HAP rank system? How does it work?

Each student gets an individual rank that is based on class status, GPA and community citizenship. If you are seeking housing in BT or HH, you choose your housing in individual rank order. The higher the rank, the higher your priority in the assignment process. If you are seeking housing in the Townhouses, we add up all your individual ranks and divide that number by the number of people in your group to create a group rank. Again, the higher the group rank, the higher your priority in the assignment process.

9.  What if we can't find one of our apartment group members, can we sign his/her name on the form?

No. Forging someone else's signature is never a good thing and that holds true in this process, as well. If a group is found responsible for forging a signature or providing any other false information during HAP, the group will lose its ranking and the ability to live in the same apartment together. (Judicial charges are also a possibility.) All in all, it's not worth it, so don't do it!

10.  I require special housing accommodations, what process do I need to go through?

If you have a condition that requires special housing accommodations, please print off the document located below. This document has a section that you need to complete and a section that your health professional needs to complete. Both sections of this document are due to RPS no later than Wednesday, April 2nd. (Please ignore the March 1st deadline that is on the document.)

Special Housing Accommodations Request Process

11.  I don't have an on-campus residency requirement. Can I move off-campus after the fall semester?

No. The Residence Area Occupancy Agreement is a full-year commitment. If you find that you are unhappy in your room and/or apartment, you are expected to seek alternate housing accommodations on campus, not move off-campus.

12.  I live within commuting range. Can I commute from home after the fall semester?

No. Please see the answer to question #11.

Okay....Ready to get going?

1.  If you are seeking housing in BT or HH next year, click on the documents below. The first document gives you an overview of each building....what floors are available to returning students; where the special interest housing is; what sex each BT suite is, etc. The second document is a preference form where you can record your room type preference, roommate preference and specific room assignment preferences. Print off the second document and return it to the RPS office no later than Wednesday, April 2nd.

BT & HH: Important Information

BT & HH: Preference Form

 2.  If you are seeking housing in the Townhouses next year......First things first, you need to form a group with 5 or 6 individuals in it. (Remember, we told you about the cool new way to look for folks to join in with: RPS Housing Connections. Just go to the Desktop of First Class and look for it under the MCLA Bulletin Board section.)

Okay. Once you have a group of 5 or 6 formed, decide who your group spokesperson is going to be. Pick a really responsible person who checks their First Class account and phone messages daily because if we have any questions or issues with your group this is the person we are going to call!! No response.....The process goes on without you!!!

Next, click on the link below and you will be able to check out the apartments that are available to your size group in the coming year. Talk to each other about where you would like to live within the Complex.

2008-2009 Flagg Townhouse Apartment Complex Map

On to the preference forms.....Remember, your group only needs to print off and submit one form. The form requires you to do four important things: tell us who is in your group and what bedroom each person will live in; have each person sign and date the form so that we know that the people are the form are agreeing to live together; decide who will get the apartment's parking permit; and rank order your apartment location choices ("1" being your first choice, "2" your second, and so on....). TH preference forms are due to the RPS office no later than 4:00 pm on Wednesday, April 2nd.

If you formed a group of 5, print off this form:

Five-Person Apartment Group Preference Form

If you formed a group of 6, print off this form:

Six-Person Apartment Group Preference Form

We have 2 apartments that are designed to house 7 students in 2 doubles and 1 triple. If you are interested in forming a group of 7, please contact the RPS office.

If you are one of those 8 lucky non-residency requirement students who received a premium single and the opportunity to form a group of 4, please stay tuned to your First Class account for additional information.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns AND have read all the information provided above, please contact the RPS office at ext. 5249 (Townhouse #89)

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Did you miss the very first deadline? 

HAP Instructions & Forms: First Phase 

Overall, the process is pretty straightforward and consists of THREE easy steps:

Step 1:  This step has three parts.

Part A requires you to read the 2008-2009 Returning Student HAP Instructions in its entirety. You can access this document by clicking the following link:

2008-2009 Returning Student HAP Instructions