Rising juniors and seniors that had not anticipated attaining on-campus housing were able to do so this week, in a surprising room draw that Director of Residential Life Sarah Griesse said is a result of students "second-guessing the process."

As of Wednesday evening, a 5-person suite in George Draper Dayton Hall (GDD) had not yet been filled, said Hall Director Wes Kiplinger. "This has never happened before," he said.

According to Griesse, a group of students had been in conversation with Res Life and would be able to claim the GDD suite Thursday morning.

"Current sophomores are getting rooms with numbers that they never would have anticipated would have gotten them anything," said Hall Director Andrea Connor. She said that rising juniors who had lottery numbers upwards of 200 participated in the draw and were awarded rooms.

Megan Fast '05 said that she was fourth in line for doubles with lottery number 39. "I don't know anyone that didn't get anything." She added that the newly constructed Wallace attic rooms, which several Res Life members said were expected to go immediately, were passed up by juniors and taken by current sophomores.

"What we're having is students that haven't been coming to the sessions that they could have," Griesse explained. "They're way over-thinking the process, not just going through it."

She said that she is certain that the turnout is not a reflection of decreasing student interest in on campus living. "I honestly don't think it is a decision that they don't want to live on campus," she said. "I think people made assumptions."

Kiplinger surmised that rising juniors had decided to opt for finding off campus housing because of the number of last years' sophomore class who were forced off-campus, and that those students forced off campus last year found it convenient to stay in their current living situation.

Griesse said that Residential Life had made an effort to encourage students to attend room draw, telling them to "come early, come often" and that nothing more could have been done to ensure a higher turnout.

She noted this year's order reversal which placed the selection of doubles before that of singles, and said she wondered what kind of impact that switch had made.

According to Res. Life Operations Manager Kathy McEathron, a summary of the draw will be published next week that will clarify how quickly rooms were taken and by whom. Those summaries, she said, will help in planning for next year's draw.

According to Kiplinger, there is already a waiting list for sophomore doubles. Griesse urges students who missed the draw to add their names to the various waiting lists. "There will be some movement," she said.

Griesse mentioned that she has been communicating with Macalester College Student Government (MCSG) about revising the current procedures and will continue to do so. The changes that have been discussed include eliminating the privilege that rising seniors currently enjoy over rising juniors. She said that holding room draw earlier in the semester has also been discussed. Currently the draw occurs during mid-terms, a time when Griesse feels that students are already over-burdened.

She maintained, however, that this year's draw had been a success. "Room draw is going well," she said. "It's just different from last year."

The room draw of March 2001 for the 01-02 school year saw a significant increase in demand for on-campus housing, Griesse said, due to the newly constructed Campus Center and improved catering service. That increase was sustained in last year's draw, due in part to the unusually large size of this year's sophomore class.

Construction is currently in the planning stages for a link between Turck Hall and Bigelow Hall, which will provide upwards of fifty beds for first-years, and, according to Griesse, allow for the creation of more upperclassmen housing.