The Shippensburg University Housing and Residence Life opened the housing lottery for the new dormitories on Wednesday, Feb. 15. Students who paid their $200 deposits and signed up to live in the new dorms could choose which room they want to live in for next year.
Housing and Residence Life is doing a manual lottery for the new buildings. This is the first time in about eight years the university has done a manual lottery according to Yvonne Shoop, the assistant housing director.
Students have to choose from one of the current buildings on campus for the fall semester and one of the new buildings for the spring semester.
Students already chose the style of room they wanted before arriving at the lottery. They chose from four styles: two person, one bedroom semi-suite; a two person, two bedroom semi-suite; a two person, two bedroom full-suite; and a four person, two bedroom full-suite.
A semi-suite includes a full bathroom but no kitchenette. A full-suite includes a full bathroom and kitchenette.
Jen Funck and Jess Laughman were the first pair of roommates in the lottery to choose their rooms for next year.
Funck and Laughman have lived in McLean since their freshman year and are ready for a change.
They did not want to live off campus because of the cost, but with the option of the suite-style dorm, the pair jumped at the opportunity to live on–campus, but in an off-campus style.
“It still gives you the independence you would have if you lived off campus, but you’re still close enough to campus that if you wake up late, you don’t have a 20–minute walk,” Funck said.
“I have tried so many times to live off–campus and I had people bail on me because you need so many people to make it budgetable and this way, it makes it seem like you have your own little apartment, but it’s manageable,” Laughman said.
Living in the new dorms is more expensive than living in the current ones. According to Shoop, it is roughly $1,800 more to live in the new dorms. However, the rooms are carpeted, air conditioned, have a bathroom and some have a kitchen in the room.
Two other students, Connor Schnepps and Lymuel Artwell, both freshmen, chose to live in the new dorms next year. Both of them were aware of the cost increase, but it was of no concern to either of them.
The lottery for the new dorms closed on Feb. 17. The application for apartment housing is due Feb. 22 and healthy living community applications are due Feb. 24.
Lotteries for apartment housing are online Feb. 23–24. Similarly, the healthy living community lottery is online Feb. 24–26.
Lastly, the traditional residence hall lottery is Feb. 27–March 1 and it is also online.
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