Spring 2013 Room Changes

Forms

• 2013 Spring Room Change Request Form (PDF) 
• Roommate / Suitemate Request Form (PDF)

Important Dates

• Friday, January 25, 2013 - Room Change Request forms available to download
• Friday, February 1, 2013, 4pm - Room Change Request forms due to the Residential Life & Housing (RL&H) office, 110 Sulzberger.
• Wednesday, February 6, 2013, 7pm - Room Change Request results will be emailed to students.
• Friday, February 8, 2013, 9am-5pm - If a room change is granted, you may begin moving to into your new rooms in cooperation with the person vacating the room (if applicable) and the person replacing you in your old room (if applicable).  Keys will be available to pick up between 9am-5pm at the RL&H Office.
• Monday, February 10, 2013, 10am - If a room change is granted, you must have completed your move and returned your old room keys using the Room Change envelope provided to you when you picked up your new room keys.

Room Change Request Process

• This process is for Barnard Sophomore, Junior, and Senior students only (first-year students who may be experiencing difficulties with their roommate(s) should speak to their RA).
• Columbia University students living in Barnard residence halls are not eligible to participate in this process and there is no switching permitted between BC-designated and CU-designated spaces (please consult CU Housing for information about room changes for CU students) .
• Students who submit a Room Change Request form are expected to inform their roommate(s)/suitemates(s) of their request, in order to give them an opportunity to either submit a Room Change Request form of their own or try to recruit a new roommate/suitemate.
• Students with diagnosed disabilities who may need some form of disability-related housing consideration as part of their room change request should contact the Office of Disability Services to complete a Disability-Related Housing Request (DRHR) no later than Friday, February 1. More information about the process is available at http://barnard.edu/reslife/procedures/disability/.
• Room change requests & preferences based upon race, ethnicity, religion, religious practices, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, physical characteristic, or national origin cannot be accommodated.
• Once submitted, Request forms may not be altered unless they are withdrawn (in writing) and/or then resubmitted as a new application.  Request forms may not be withdrawn after the due date (Friday, February 1, 4pm).
• The RL&H staff will review all submitted Room Change Request forms.  Decisions made by this group are final.  There is no guarantee that all applicants will receive a room change as a result of submitting a Request form.
• You may request to make a 1-for-1 swap with another student OR you may specify a set of criteria for which types of rooms or locations they would be willing to move to. 
• If you wish to move into a specific vacant space, you may specify that on your Request form.  The roommate(s)/suitemate(s) of that vacancy should also submit a Roommate/Suitemate Request Form (available above) requesting you.  This can improve your chances of receiving the room change but does not guarantee it.
• You must complete the room change if granted, as other room changes will be dependent on the room you are vacating.
• If granted a room change, you will be responsible for coordinating your move (if applicable) with both the person moving out of the space you are moving into and the person moving into the space you vacate.  Email addresses will be provided.
• The spaces available for room changes are extremely limited. We cannot guarantee that students will receive a room change through this process.
• If granted a room change to a more expensive room type (i.e. moving from a multiple to a single), you will be responsible for submitting payment to the Bursar for the the prorated increase in room rate.  If you are moving to a less expensive room type (i.e. moving from a single to a multiple), you will receive a prorated credit on your Bursar account.
• If granted a room change to a location that requires a more comprehensive meal plan (i.e. moving to floors 2-8 of the Quad), you will be required to complete paper work with the Bursar office to change to the Quad Upperclass Meal Plan.  If you receive a room change to a location outside floors 2-8 of the Quad and wish to change to a less comprehensive meal plan, you will need to complete paper work with the Bursar office.

Questions

Please visit barnard.edu/reslife/roomchanges#faqs for a list of frequently asked questions (and answers) about Room Change Requests.

If you have any questions, please contact Matt Kingston, Associate Director for Housing Operations, at mkingston@barnard.edu.