Residential Life & Housing

Room Selection Process & Rules

Eligibility

Continuing students are eligible to participate in Room Selection if they are:

  • Barnard students who currently live in on-campus undergraduate housing (at Barnard, Columbia, or JTS). Living units such as the Bayit and International House do not count as on-campus undergraduate housing.

  • Barnard students who are currently on an approved Study Leave for the Spring semester AND who lived in on-campus undergraduate housing prior to going on Study Leave.

  • Columbia College & SEAS students may be pulled into a group to select a suite if they register for Barnard Room Selection and currently live on-campus (or did so prior to leaving for an approved Study Leave). General Studies (GS) students are not eligible to participate in Barnard Room Selection.

Students must be enrolled full-time for the 2009-2010 academic year in order to live in on-campus housing (the only exception are Barnard seniors who have been approved for a part-time load in their final Spring semester).

If you have already received a room placement though RA & ACE placement or pull-ins, Special Interest programs, Greek housing, disability-related accommodations, etc; you may not register for Room Selection.

Note: Signing a contract for housing is an academic year-long commitment; cancellation fees may apply for students who move out of housing before the end of the academic year.

Only students graduating mid-year or studying abroad for the Spring semester may cancel their housing contracts for the Spring without penalty (as long a they submit a Withdrawal from Housing form by December 1).

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Registering for Room Selection

Registration for Room Selection will take place online from 12noon on Wednesday, March 4 through 12noon on Tuesday, March 10 (students who are studying abroad for the Spring must be registered by their Proxies).

Students must register to take part in Room Selection; otherwise they will forfeit their guarantee of housing and will not be given the opporunity to select a room or suite for the 2009-2010 academic year. Students who do not register for Room Selection (or are not eligible) but still wish to live on campus may apply for housing (on the Non-Guaranteed Wait List).

After you register online, you will be given the opportunity to "form a group" with up to 5 other students (if you wish to choose a suite or block of rooms). The benefit of forming a group online in advance is that Res Life will be able to calculate for your group whose lottery number & appointment time may be used for selection. Please note that these groupings are non-binding -- groups may break apart or reform up until the time that a group actually selects a suite or block of rooms at Room Selection. See Form a Group for more information.

Note: If you are a Resident Assistant (or RA pull-in) or an Academic Computing Expert (or ACE pull-in), you will sign a RA / ACE pull-in contract to select your room. You will not need to register for Room Selection.

Note: If you will be living in Greek or Special Interest Housing at Columbia, you do not need to register for and participate in Barnard's Room Selection processl; however, you will later be required to sign a Barnard Housing Contact (as Barnard will be responsible for billing you for your room). Barnard students living in Columbia housing are charged the Barnard single & multiple room rates, NOT the Columbia room rates.

Note: If you have a diagnosed disability and believe you will need a housing accommodation for the 2009-2010 academic year, you must submit a Disability-Related Housing Request form to the Office of Disability Services (ODS). This may include, but is not limited to, students who need accomodations for hearing impairments, diagnosed medical / pyschological conditions, etc.

The request form (and all medical documentation) must be submitted no later than 4pm on Friday, February 13. More information is available at http://barnard.edu/reslife/disability/continuing.html. Students who receive a disability-related housing assignment through this process will not need to register for Room Selection.

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If you're registering for Columbia Suite Selection...

Barnard students may be pulled-in to select suites at Columbia through the Columbia Suite Selection process. For more information and the registration process, visit the Columbia Room Selection webpage.

Please note that there is a cap on the number of Barnard students who may select into suites at Columbia. The number is equal to the number of CC & SEAS students who are pulled-in to suites during Barnard Room Selection minus the number of Barnard students assigned to Columbia sorority housing for 2009-2010. This number varies from year to year and will not be known until after the Barnard Room Selection process is over and we see how many Columbia students are pulled into Barnard suites (Columbia Suite Selection takes place after Barnard's final day of Room Selection).

We strongly encourage Barnard students who are participating in the Columbia Room Selection process to ALSO register for and select a backup room during the Barnard Room Selection process (in case they are unable to select into a suite at CU), otherwise they will not have a guarantee of housing for 2009-2010.

If you are participating in the Columbia Room Selection process, you may only select during Barnard Room Selection as an individual (not as part of a group). And, if you are a rising-Senior, you must wait until Open Selection Day 1 to select your room.

Note: Barnard students who select into rooms at Columbia will be required to sign a Barnard Housing Contact (as Barnard will be responsible for billing you for your room). Barnard students living in Columbia housing are charged the Barnard single & multiple room rates, NOT the Columbia room rates.

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Lottery Numbers & Appointment Times

The order in which students may select a room, a suite, or a block of rooms at Room Selection is determined by lottery number (generated randomly by class year). Students will be considered rising-Seniors, Juniors, or Sophomores based on their year of graduation (in 2010, 2011, or 2012). If you need to update your graduation date, please do so at the Registrar's Office (107 Milbank) no later than 4pm on Wednesday, February 11. Students will not receive a lottery number unless they register for Room Selection.

Each student will receive an individual lottery number, even if they plan on participating in a group to select a suite or block of rooms.

Note: Columbia students who wish to participate in Barnard Room Selection will not receive lottery numbers. They may only be pulled-in to select a suite or block of rooms by Barnard students. See Pulling-In Columbia Students.

Note: "Senior Selection" is intended to give students priority for housing selection for their final year of college only and students may only participate in Senior Selection once during their Barnard career. If you try to move your graduation date earlier in order to go through Senior Selection when you are actually a rising-Junior, you will not be allowed to participate in Senior Selection the following year as a rising-Senior. If your graduation date is currently listed as 2010 and you're actually a rising-Junior and planning to graduate in 2011, please correct this at the Registrar's Office.

The lottery numbers will run from #1 through the total number of participants. For example, if 1800 students register for Room Selection #1-600 could go to rising-Seniors, #601-1200 could go to rising-Juniors, and #1201-1800 could go to rising-Sophomores (the exact breakdown depends on the number of students who register from each class year).

Lottery numbers will be emailed to students and posted outside the RLH office by 5pm on Monday, March 23.

Only rising-Seniors' lottery numbers will be called on Senior Selection day (Thursday, March 27). The first half of the rising-Juniors' and Sophomores' lottery numbers (and any rising-Seniors who dropped down to Open Selection in a mixed-class year group) will be called on Open Selection Day 1 (Monday, March 30) and the second half will be called on Open Selection Day 2 (Thursday, April 2).

Students will be given an appointment time for when they can expect their lottery number to be called on their day of selection. The appointment times will be emailed and posted outside the RLH office on the following days:

If your day of Room Selection is:   Your appointment time will be posted on:
Senior Selection (Friday, March 27)   Monday, March 23, by 5pm
Open Selection Day 1 (Monday, March 30)   Saturday, March 28, by 5pm
Open Selection Day 2 (Thursday, April 2)   Tuesday, March 31, by 5pm

Students should plan to arrive no more than 5 minutes before their appointment time (students will not be admitted to the James Room until their appointment time and there is not a lot of space to wait outside in the hallway). Students should be prepared to stay in the James Room for 15 - 45 minutes (depending on how fast the lines are moving). If you cannot come to your appointment time in the James Room due to a class or other time conflict, you will need to pick a Proxy to select a room / suite for you.

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Selection Days (Senior Selection & Open Selection)

The lottery numbers will be called on three different days:

Day of Selection     Date   Location   Lottery numbers called
Senior Selection     Friday, March 27   James Room
(Barnard Hall, 4th Floor)		   rising-Seniors *
Open Selection Day 1     Monday, March 30   James Room
(Barnard Hall, 4th Floor)		   rising-Seniors (who dropped down) and rising-Juniors
Open Selection Day 2     Thursday, April 2   James Room
(Barnard Hall, 4th Floor)		   rising-Juniors and rising-Sophomores

* Rising-Seniors who wish to select as part of a Mixed Class Year group or who wish to participate in Columbia Suite Selection may not select on Senior Selection day (they will drop down to Open Selection Day 1).

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Preparation before your Appointment Time

  • Register for Room Selection (you may not participate in Room Selection otherwise)
  • Attend an Information Session or Information Table to learn more about the Room Selection process.
  • Look at the floor plans of the available rooms & suites.
  • Attend the Residence Hall Open Houses (March 1) to see a sample room in each residence hall.
  • Read the "What If" page if you have questions.
  • Ask questions or look for roommate/suitemates on the Room Selection Facebook Group.
  • Talk to friends to form a group to select a suite or block of rooms together.
  • Prepare a list of alternative locations you'd like to live, in case your top choices are not available when your appointment time comes.
  • Have a friend (with a different class schedule than you) ready to use as a Proxy in case your appointment time conflicts with a class.

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Forming a Group

Students who wish to live together for the 2009-2010 academic year may "form a group" in order to select a suite or a block of rooms at Room Selection. Groups may be comprised of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 students.

We encourage student to group themselves together in advance when registering for Room Selection (this allows us to calculate for you when your group will be allowed to select). However, these groupings are non-binding -- groups may break apart or reform up until the time that a group actually selects a suite or block of rooms at Room Selection.

Same-Class Year Groups

If everyone in your group is of the same class year (ex. all 5 students in a 5-person group are rising-Juniors), the group will use the "best" (lowest) lottery number and appointment time in the group.

For example: in the following group of 5 Juniors, Amy has the best lottery number (606), so she will "pull-in" the rest of the group to select with her when her lottery number is called at her appointment time (9am on March 30).

Student   Lottery Number   Appointment Time
Annie   889   March 30, 9:30am (Open Selection Day 1)
Onika   758   March 30, 1pm (Open Selection Day 1)
Janett   912   March 30, 10:15am (Open Selection Day 1)
Amy   606   March 30, 9am (Open Selection Day 1)
Lori   637   March 30, 11:45am (Open Selection Day 1)

Note: if you wish to pull-in one or more Columbia students, you must all be rising-Seniors in order to select on Senior Selection day (otherwise the group would drop down to Open Selection Day 1).

Mixed Class Year Groups

If your group is made up of students from different class years (ex. 2 students are rising-Seniors and 3 students are rising-Juniors), the group must average their class years together to create a Class Year Average.

  • Rising-Seniors count as 30 points
  • Rising-Juniors count as 20 points
  • Rising-Sophomores count as 10 points

For example, a group of 2 rising-Seniors and 3 rising-Juniors would add their points together (30 + 30 + 20 + 20 + 20 = 120) and divide by the number of students to get an average of 24 points (120 / 5 = 24).

Class Year Average Range   Whose Lottery Number & Appointment Time may be used
Between 30-26 points   the best rising-Senior's lottery number *
Between 25-16 points   the best rising-Junior's lottery number
Between 15-10 points   the best rising-Sophomore's lottery number

* A mixed-class year group with 30-26 points may use the best rising-Senior's lottery number, but may not select on Senior Selection day. The group would wait until the beginning of Open Selection Day 1.

Note: if a group is comprised of only rising-Seniors and rising-Sophomores (i.e. no rising-Juniors), they would use the best rising-Senior's lottery number if the Class Year Average is between 30-22 points (and otherwise would use the best rising-Sophomore's lottery number).

For example, the group of 2 rising-Seniors and 3 rising-Juniors below with a Class Year Average of 24 points would use the best lottery number & appointment day/time of a rising-Junior (Josephine). Even though the 2 rising-Seniors were given appointment times on Senior Selection day, if they want to participate in this mixed-class year group they will wait until Josephine's lottery number and appointment time to select as part of this group.

Student   Class Year   Lottery Number     Appointment Time
Julie   rising-Senior   353     March 27, 9:30am (Senior Selection)
Amreen   rising-Senior   503     March 27, 10:15pm (Senior Selection)
Lucy   rising-Junior   912     March 30, 10:15am (Open Selection Day 1)
Josephine   rising-Junior   612     March 30, 9am (Open Selection Day 1)
Cassandra   rising-Junior   837     March 30, 11:45am (Open Selection Day 1)

Sound confusing? We've made a handy set of charts to show you each possible set of mixed-class year groups, color coded by whose lottery number may be used.

If a group reconfigures at Room Selection (because there are no suites that match the size of the group or no suites that the group wishes to pick), the group must recompute its Class Year Average. This may result in the group having to wait to use the lottery number and appointment time for a lower class year member of the group.

Pulling-In Columbia Students

Groups who wish to pull-in Columbia students must be comprised off at least 50% Barnard students (ex. a group of 5 must have at least 3 Barnard students). The Columbia students must register for Barnard Room Selection in order to be pulled-in.

If a group of Barnard rising-Seniors wishes to pull-in a Columbia student, that student must also be a rising-Senior in order for the group to select on Senior Selection day (otherwise the group would drop down to Open Selection Day 1).

For Mixed Class Year Groups, groups will not count the Columbia students and their class years into the calculation of a group's Class Year Average.

For example, a group of 2 Barnard rising-Juniors, 1 Columbia rising-Junior, and 2 Barnard rising-Sophomores would determine their Class Year Average as if they were a group of 4 (2 rising-Seniors and 2 rising-Juniors).

Or, a group of 1 Columbia rising-Junior and 3 Barnard rising-Sophomores would be considered the same as a group of 3 rising-Sophomores (the group would select as if they were a same-class-year group of just sophomores and use the best lottery number within their group).

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At Room Selection

Checking In

When you arrive at the James Room for your appointment time, you will check in at the front door. You (and your group, if applicable) will wait in a holding area until your lottery number is called.

Note: If you are not able to attend your appointment time, you must designate a Proxy to select for you. If you are part of a group, one of the other group members may serve as your Proxy (however, you must together fill out a copy of the Proxy Form).

In this holding area will be Floor Plans for each residence hall, which will be marked as rooms & suites are selected.

There will be limited room for coats, bookbags, etc. so we encourage you not to bring a lot of stuff to the James Room with you if possible.

Waiting in Line

When your lottery number is called, you will approach the Number Caller table. The Number Caller will cross you off the list and you will join "the line" in lottery number order.

Note: If you are part of a group and did create the group online (on the Registration page) in advance, the Number Caller will need to do so before you may get in line. We encourage you to create your group online in advance, if possible, to help speed up the Room Selection process.

When you reach the front of the line, you will wait for the next available Staff member at a computer station to help you select a room, a suite, or block of rooms. Each computer station will be able to display the floor plans of each residence hall on campus and the rooms or suites that are available for your to select.

Selecting a Room (Individuals)

An individual may choose a single (or any unselected space in a double or triple room) in Hewitt, Elliott or Sulzberger Tower (if you want to select into a double or triple rooms with friends, see Selecting a Block of Rooms below).

Rising-Seniors only may select Sulzberger Tower singles and Studio Singles at 110th Street.

Rising-Juniors and rising-Sophomores only may select into left over singles & doubles in suites where RA, Academic Computing Expert, or disability-related housing assignments were made. There are a limited number of 7- and 9-person suites (in 600, 620, & 110th Street) that will be broken into individual rooms for rising-Juniors and rising-Sophmores to select into as individuals (or 2- or 4-person groups).

Note: If you do not wish to select from the available rooms (or there are no rooms available left to select), you will sign up for the Guaranteed Housing Wait List.

Selecting a Suite (Groups)

Groups may select a suite if the size of their group matches the size of the suite (ex. a 5-person group may select a 5-person suite but not a 6-person suite). Suites ran in size from 2 - 6 people.

Note: Groups with male Columbia students may select a suite only as long as the rooms within the suite are single-gender; i.e. the male student(s) would live either in a single or in a double with another male student.

See Forming a Group (above) for information on determining whose lottery number & appointment time may be used for the group to select.

All members of the group (or their designated proxies) must be present at the appointment time in order to select a suite. For example, if a student (or her/his proxy) in a 5-person group is not present, the group would not be able to select a 5-person suite. The group would either have to wait for that student to show up or reconfigure as a 4-person group in order to select.

If a group is unable to find a suite they want to select or there are no suites left that match the size of the group, the group may reconfigure (see below) in order to select a larger / smaller suite or individual rooms (see below).

Rising-Juniors and rising-Sophomores only may select into left over doubles in suites where RA, Academic Computing Expert, or disability-related housing assignments were made OR in 7- and 9-person suites (in 600, 620, & 110th Street) that will be broken into individual rooms for rising-Juniors and rising-Sophmores to select into as 2- or 4-person groups.

Note: If you do not wish to select from the available rooms (or there are no rooms available left to select), you will sign up for the Guaranteed Housing Wait List.

Selecting a Block of Rooms (Groups)

If you wish to live together with a group of friends (up to 6 students total including yourself) but do not wish to live in a suite, you may select into a block of rooms (singles, doubles, triples) on the same floor only of Hewitt, Elliott, or Sulzberger Tower (corridor-style buildings). Rising-Seniors only may select into Sulzberger Tower singles.

Note: Groups with Columbia students may not select rooms in Hewitt or Elliott. Only female Columbia may be pulled-in to rooms in Sulzberger Tower.

See Forming a Group (above) for information on determining whose lottery number & appointment time may be used for the group to select.

For example, a group of 2 rising-Sophomores could select 2 singles on the same floor of Hewitt or Elliott or could select into a double room together in Hewitt, Elliott, or Sulzberger Tower.

All members of the group (or their designated proxies) must be present at the appointment time in order to select a block of rooms. For example, if a student (or his/her proxy) in a 5-person group is not present, the group may not select a room for the space. The group would either have to wait for that student to show up or reconfigure as a 4-person group in order to select.

If a group is unable to find a floor with enough empty spaces for them to select rooms or they cannot agree on a location to sign up for, the group may reconfigure (see below).

Note: Studio singles may only be selected by rising-Seniors as individuals. A rising-Senior may not "pull-in" a group of other rising-Seniors to select studios singles on the same floor of 110th St at the same time.

Note: If you do not wish to select from the available rooms (or there are no rooms available left to select), you will sign up for the Guaranteed Housing Wait List.

Reconfiguring a Group

If your group is unable to decide on a suite or block of rooms to select (or spaces matching your group size are not available), your group may reconfigure by adding or dropping students (or break apart into individuals).

  • Adding members to the group - the group may "add" one or more students to become a larger group. For example, if there are no 5-person suites left but a 6-person suite is available, a group could add a member and select that 6-person suite.

    When adding a member(s), the group will have to get out of line and wait at the entrance of the James Room until the new member(s) arrives. The group must then "check-in" again (so that the new member(s) can be added electronically to the group at the check-in table). The group will then be able to get back in line in Lottery Number order (if still selecting with the same lottery number, the group will be able to go to the head of the line and wait for the next available staff person).

    If you believe that your group may need to add a member(s) to the group, we encourage you to have the person on "standby" close to the James Room.

  • Dropping members from the group - The group may "drop" one or more students to become a smaller group. For example, if there are no 5-person suites left but a 4-person suite is available, a group could drop a member and select that 4-person suite.

    The student(s) who are dropped from the group can either select using their own individual lottery number or be pulled-in to another group that hasn't already selected. If a dropped student's lottery number has already been called and she wants to select a room as an individual, the Staff member helping the group will aid her in selecting a room (and the group would get back in line to wait for the next available Staff member).

  • Break apart into individuals - If a group decides to completely break apart, each member will default to using her own individual lottery number and appointment time (or members can be pulled-in to other groups who have not yet selected). If a group member's lottery number has already been called (because she had to wait for a younger class year member's lottery number to be used by the group), the Staff member helping the group will aid her in selecting a room first (the student whose lottery number the group was using to select would get back in line and wait for the next available Staff member to help her select a room).

    If a group with Columbia student(s) breaks apart, the Columbia student(s) will not be able to select a Barnard room as an individual (he/she would automatically be entered into Columbia's General Selection as an individual).

Signing Your Housing Contract

After selecting a room, a suite, or block of rooms, you will be required to sign a Housing Contract for the 2009-2010 academic year.

You must sign the housing contract before leaving the James Room; otherwise, you will loose your assignment and your guarantee of housing for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Note: If you have a proxy select a room for you, you will have to go to the RLH office to sign your Housing Contract no later than 5pm on Thursday, April 9 (otherwise you will loose your assignment and your guarantee of housing for the 2009-2010 academic year).

Students who are studying abroad for the Spring semester will sign their contact when they move in for the Fall semester.

Dining Services will be on hand for students to sign up for 2009-2010 meal plans (students who sign up for Hewitt are required to sign up for the unlimited meal plan).

Guaranteed Housing Wait List

If you do not wish to pick from the available rooms or suites during your appointment time (or there are no more available rooms), you will sign up for the Guaranteed Housing Wait List. You will be guaranteed a room for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Students will fill out an application (similar to the Room Change Request Form) which gives them the opportunity to rank in preference the type of room & building they would like to live in (and specify requested roommates & suitemates).

Rooms open up as students cancel their housing to go into Columbia Housing, cancel to go abroad for the Fall, take a leave of absence, or cancel to move off-campus. Many desirable rooms will open up across campus.

Near the end of the summer, RLH will assign all students on the Guaranteed Housing Wait List to rooms that have become available due to cancellations. These assignments will be communicated to students on the Wait List in early August via their Barnard email address.

While RLH attempts to place students into rooms that match their preferences, ultimately there will be a finite set of vacancies to work with. Students who are placed into rooms from the Guaranteed Housing Wait List will receive priority should they request a Fall Room Change.

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Proxies

If you are not available to attend Room Selection at your appointment time (you have a class, job conflict, etc.), you will need to designate a Proxy to select for you.

The proxy must be a Barnard student. If you are in a group, one of the other group members may serve as your proxy.

To designate a proxy, please print & fill out a Proxy Form with your Proxy. Your proxy must bring the completed Proxy form with her to your appointment time to show as proof she will be selecting on your behalf.

Note: If you are currently studying abroad for the Spring semester, you will need to designate a Proxy who will register you for Room Selection in addition to selecting a room / suite for you. You must submit a Proxy Form no later than March 1 (since we will have the Proxy Form on file, your proxy will not need to bring a copy with her).

The space your Proxy selects for you is a binding selection. You may not make any change to the selection (rising-Seniors only may fill out a Senior Summer Room Change Form, which is not guaranteed).

We encourage you to have a detailed conversation with your Proxy about your selection preferences (ex. desired residence halls, size of room, type of room, view, roommates/suitemates, meal plan, etc.). To help facilitate your conversation, print & fill out the Proxy worksheet.

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After Room Selection

Canceling your housing

If you:

  • get a room though Columbia Suite Selection
  • get an apartment using the Senior Option
  • decide to move off-campus
  • decide to go on Study Leave for the Fall
  • withdraw from the College, etc.

you need to cancel your Housing Contact.  Please submit the Housing Withdrawal Form to the RLH Office.  Withdrawal forms must be submitted by May 15 in order to avoid the $1000 cancellation charge (if you are on the Guaranteed Housing Wait List, you will have until 12noon on Wednesday, August 5 to cancel without paying the cancellation charge).

Note:  If you cancel your Housing Contact, you will give up your guarantee of housing for the 2009-2010 academic year.  The room you selected will be reassigned to a student on the Guaranteed Housing Wait List.  If you later wish to re-apply for housing, you will be on the Non-Guaranteed Wait List and may not receive a room assignment.

Senior Option (living off-campus)

Rising-seniors with a financial aid package that includes a housing allowance may have the opportunity to apply those funds towards an off-campus apartment (if the College makes the "Senior Option" available).

If you are planning on using the "Senior Option," we encourage you to also register for Room Selection and select an on-campus room as a backup (in case you decide not to make use of the Senior Option afterall or the College does not make the Senior available).

For more information about Senior Option and the application form, visit http://www.barnard.edu/reslife/senioroption/.

Senior Room Change Requests

After Room Selection, only rising-Seniors may request room changes over the summer, using a form which will posted online in April.

For non-rising-Seniors, no room changes may be made over the summer.  Rising-Sophomores and Juniors may apply for a room change if they wish during the Fall Room Change Process, which typically takes place a few weeks after the start of the new academic year. Priority will be given to any student who was assigned from the Guaranteed Housing Wait List.

Summer Housing

Barnard is currently revising its summer housing policies and will post information about applying for Summer Housing in late March / early April.

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Still have questions? Check out the "What If" page...