College freshman Carla Reed came to Cox Hall Ballroom Sunday to sign up for housing for next year, but left without a room - Residential Services had no more to give.
"This is absolutely ridiculous," Reed said. "I can't believe they didn't plan ahead for this."
Students expecting to receive their room assignment for next year were greeted instead by a blue flyer posted on the door of Cox Hall Ballroom and no staffers in sight.
According to Residential Services Assistant Director for Operations Joni Tyson, who is in charge of the lottery process, the office began offering space on the waiting list to all general lottery participants above number 301.
"General lottery went well," Tyson said Sunday night. "It's nothing unusual to have a wait list. There's plenty of housing, just not any more today. We have the same problem we have every year - that students sign up for housing, but don't end up living there."
Reed said that having no Residential Services staff members there to talk with her made the situation worse. "It's like they're hiding from us because they can't face the truth," she said.
College freshman Whitney Amyot, who flew into Atlanta from a fraternity formal in Savannah so she would not miss housing assignments, agreed. "It's unbelievable that they're not even here," she said. "They should be here explaining it to us."
Tyson, however, said there was no reason for the Res Services staff to stay at the lottery. "There was nothing we could tell them tonight," she said. "It's better to wait until after cancellations and get the information to them then."
Tyson said there would be three meetings on Thursday for students who wished to be placed on the wait list.
College freshman Meridith Mason said Emory should uphold its policy that all students are guaranteed housing. "I think for a school as highly respected as Emory they should be able to live up to what they say," she said. "What do I do? Sleep on the Quad?"
Residential Services Director of Staffing Lauren Kent-Delany said that all students who did not receive housing would be put on the wait list. "The cancellation deadline for general lottery is Wednesday at 5 p.m. and we know a lot of people will cancel their housing then," she said. "We will fill rooms as housing becomes available."
College freshman Melissa Parks said the idea of a wait list conflicted with the reasoning behind a lottery. "Lottery is pointless if you can't choose where you want to live," she said. "They might as well throw everyone's name in the air and just see where it lands."
Director of Residence Life Brit Katz said students should not be concerned about housing. "It is the stated policy to attempt to provide on-campus housing for all students that request it," he said. "Every attempt will be made to place everyone on the wait list [in housing]."
Katz said it was unlikely that any student would not receive housing. "I cannot recall the last time in which undergraduates requested on campus housing and were not given it."
Many students said they were not surprised that this happened. "What do they think is going to happen when they eliminate housing?" College freshman Dave Portnoy said. "I just want them to open up some decent housing."
Katz said he anticipated no changes in the dorm assignments.
According to Tyson, part of Turman will be closed next fall with the other part closed in the spring, thus cutting in half the number of freshmen who can live there.
Katz also said that the large size of this year's incoming freshman class made it necessary to cut the number of spaces in upperclass residence halls. "With an anticipated first year class of over 1,200 students, we're going to fill all the beds we have," he said.
