Students can apply for housing and meal plans themselves using MCR Housing this semester.
Instead of methods used in the past, like emails and Microsoft Forms for applications, all students, whether they are commuters or living on campus, can now use MCR Housing to apply for different housing options. There are many places residents can live in and apply for, such as traditional dorms, suites, on-campus apartments, and theme houses.
Mikey Anderson, the assistant director of residence life, said the new system will be easier for students to use. “It will be much more efficient,” said Anderson.
Emails will be released in the next couple of weeks with more information on applications. These include due dates, more user-friendly features, and the overall selection process for next year.
This comes after some students have said that they would like a more efficient process that is clearer and more user-friendly.
Director of Residence Life Tracy Benner said these changes will make the housing selection process less fragmented and provide a more centralized system that all students can use.
The amount of time students will need to spend in MCR will vary based on their individual housing situation. An example of this is commuters, who only need to fill out the commuter status form, while people wanting to live in the on-campus apartments will need to use MCR in a different way.
However, there have been no changes to the standards that must be met for students to be eligible for suites, on-campus apartments, or theme houses. No changes have been made to the rules that students who live on campus must follow, either.
Juniors and seniors who want to live in the Commons apartment complexes can apply as a group during the spring semester. Students applying for them cannot be on academic probation. The complexes are on Home Street and Park Street and have four buildings each with rooms that up to four people can live in at a time.
Theme houses are available to students in a relevant theme who are not freshmen or on academic probation. The houses are run by a specific academic department, which determines the selection process for students.
The three theme houses on campus are the Education House for education majors, the House of Black Culture for members of the Black Student Union or other diversity organizations, and the LGBTQ Resource House for LGBTQIA+ students and members of FreeZone.
Suite-style rooms at Devore Hall are available to students who have completed at least one semester, and applicants will have a better chance of getting one of these rather than an apartment.
Students who want to live off-campus must either reside within a 30-mile radius of the university, have completed 90 credit hours, be 22 or older at the beginning of the fall semester, or have lived on campus for three full years.
