Housing Waitlist Update for Fall 2008

Additional Housing Guarantees Extended & More Anticipated!
This web notice is being posted to update the current 399 students (225 male, 174 female) whose names must be held on our waiting list for residence hall assignments for the Fall 2008 semester. Residence hall assignments are allocated according to our Housing Commitments for Fall 2008 and Beyond. We suggest you look over those commitments since the terms are used extensively in this update.

Resident Life recently extended several hundred additional housing guarantees to students in the 3rd through 9th Commitment Group. At this time, all available residence hall housing for the Fall 2008 semester has been committed to other students. These are students in the following groups:

As of today, all of our housing (8,246 spaces in 35 residence halls) has been committed to students. Because there is no more housing we can guarantee until additional cancellations have been received, the waitlist was established May 15, and consists of the following Commitment Groups:

Commitment Group #9
New Transfer students, currently enrolled students trying to move into campus housing, and returning residents who lost their housing priority because of financial ineligibility but are now eligible to return to campus housing (399 students – 225 male, 174 female). .

Outlook for Commitment Groups #9
Our cancellation projections suggest that we may be able to continue to extend housing offers to additional students in Commitment Group #9. We encourage these students to continue to seek other housing options for Fall 2008 but it could be that additional residence hall guarantees could be extended in late July and August. Students in these groups would be best advised to continue to look at all options for housing and not to wait until the end of the summer. Current projections suggest spaces may become open and these would be assigned to students from Commitment Group #9 on a space available basis.

Please understand that these are good-faith projections, and cannot be viewed as promises or guarantees that an on-campus residence hall assignment will be provided to any particular student by the start of Fall 2008 classes.

Cancellation activity occurs throughout the summer and peaks at two particular times; first, was around the cancellation deadline date of July 8 when students petitioned for release from their agreements without a financial penalty; second, after August 6 when notification information about housing assignments is mailed and posted to our web site and the university sends out student bills for Fall 2008.

We will post another waitlist update on August 15th. Additional posts will occur as needed. Email notices will be sent out to students as well.

Check Your Position
Resident Life now has placed waitlist position information on-line. In order for you to view your waitlist position, you will need to login using your directory ID and password.

Please Note: The waitlist is based on our Housing Commitments policies and follows the commitment order. Periodically, a student could see their waitlist number actually rise. This is due to students already guaranteed housing dropping onto the waitlist based on academic actions listed in Commitment Group #7. Waitlist position will decrease only as students either are guaranteed housing from the waitlist or take themselves off the waitlist. If you want your name taken off the wait list, please reply to us at reslife@umd.edu.

Make Sure Your Email Address is Correct
Updates will be sent via email to you as frequently as warranted, so please sure your correct email address is listed with the university. You may check this information by going to www.testudo.umd.edu/apps/saddr/ and following the instructions.

We would also encourage you to make a habit of checking Resident Life's web site regularly. At the point that a student can be moved from the waiting list to a status of being guaranteed a room assignment for Fall 2008, an official confirmation of housing, meals and telecommunications services will be emailed and charges to the student’s University account will be initiated. Of particular interest are the online “housing search” and “roommate finder” services and the advice and resource information (safety checklists, landlord-tenant concerns, cost considerations, etc.) that is published for persons who are looking into near-campus housing options for the first time.

Off-Campus Housing Services
Students who want the University’s help in exploring off-campus housing opportunities in nearby apartment complexes, private homes or fraternities and sororities (as non-member boarders) should go to the Off-Campus Housing Services web site at www.och.umd.edu or visit staff in room 1110 of the Stamp Student Union. Hours are Monday to Friday 10am-5pm. Of particular interest are the online “housing search” and “roommate finder” services and the advice and resource information (safety checklists, landlord-tenant concerns, cost considerations, etc.) that is published for persons who are looking into near-campus housing options for the first time.

Special Off-Campus Housing Fairs
Resident Life and Off-Campus Housing Services are co-sponsoring Off-Campus Housing Fairs on July 23 and August 25. These events are held on campus and are open to all interested students and family members. Each fair is designed to provide interested students with a “one-stop-shop” approach to identifying and investigating housing alternatives in the immediate vicinity of our campus. Fifty or more off-campus property managers and private landlords usually are present at these fairs. Advance registration is requested; please visit www.och.umd.edu for further information. We do not recommend delaying the start of any housing search until the day you attend one of these events.

We regret the delay in being able to offer our housing and residence life services to you, and wish you every success in your academic and personal endeavors.