What is room squatting?

Room Squatting is the way a student can reserve their current room for next year, or become roommates with a friend who is reserving their current room for next year. 

Who is able to squat their room?

There are 2 requirements for room squatting. 1)The room needs to be full - two people in a double, three people in a triple, etc. 2) Minimum of one person needs to live in the room this semester.  

I’m currently in a double room without a roommate. Can I squat my room by myself? What about with a roommate?

No, you can’t squat a double room without a roommate. (See requirement #1 - the room needs to be fully occupied.) However, you can squat the room if you find a roommate because that would make the room full. 

When and where does room squatting occur? About how long will it take? 

Room Squatting does not take place in person. You will submit your Room Draw Participation form by March 21 at 5:00pm. The form provides the information needed for the Housing Office to place you in your desired room if you meet the room squatting criteria. 

I currently live on a hall that will not be available to me next year (Shen or Lambein). Do I have the option to squat a different room? 

Current Shen residents will not have the opportunity to squat a room in Lambein.

Current Lambein residents cannot squat a room in Gillette, but will have select rooms throughout the building that only current Lambein residents may chose, in place of squatting.

Email housing@houghton.edu with any additional questions you may have.

What is Room Draw? 

Room Draw is the in-person process by which current students choose their residence hall room for next year. 

When and where is Room Draw? 

Single/Triples/Quad Room Draw Night
Tuesday, March 29 at 9:00PM in the Chapel

Room Draw Night
Wednesday, March 30 at 9:00PM in the Chapel

Do I have to sign up in advance to participate in Room Draw? 

Yes! We need you to sign up in advance so that we can put everyone in order by class and confirm available rooms. Please complete the Room Draw Participation form by March 21!

What happens after I complete the Room Draw Participation Form? 

After March 21, you will receive an email indicating your Room Draw number and the time and place where you should attend Room Draw. 

How is the order for Room Draw determined? 

First, we look at every person who plans to live in a full room (two people in a double room, three in a triple room, etc.). That group of students is put in order based on how many credits they have earned to this point. It’s a seniority system. Then, we also group the students who do not have specific plans to live in a full room and put them in order based on earned credits. Here’s the order:

Seniors (Full Room); Juniors (Full Room); Sophomores (Full Room); Freshman (Full Room); Seniors (Partly Full room); Juniors (Partly Full Room); Sophomores (Partly Full Room); Freshman (Partly Full Room)

If you want to have a better chance of selecting your preferred floor or room, find a roommate before Room Draw Participation Forms are due and make sure you both/all list each other. 

How much do the different kinds of rooms cost? 

https://www.houghton.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Room-Type-Chart-with-20_21-Costs.pdf

In general, rooms for fewer people cost more (singles are the most expensive; quads are least expensive). If you want to save money, we encourage you to find a roommate. 

I would prefer to live by myself. What are my options? 

Women’s Halls: Gillette has some single occupancy room options scattered throughout the building. It also has “Large Singles” on 2nd Main. You can try to select one of those rooms through Room Draw - they cost more than a double room but less than a double held as a single. If they are all taken, you can choose to pay for a double as a single in Gillette.

Men’s Halls: Roth has some single occupancy rooms (generally rooms ending in 01 or 11). You can try to select one of those rooms through Room Draw - they cost more than a double room but less than a double as a single. If they are all taken, you can choose to pay for a double as a single in either Roth or Lambein.

I would prefer to live with a roommate for personal or financial reasons, but I don’t have a roommate yet. Please advise. 

Look for an email from your RD with  opportunities to connect with other people who are in the same situation - wanting a roommate but not having found one yet. We encourage you to communicate openly with a potential roommate about your preferences, but also to recognize that sharing a space with someone else always requires some flexibility and compromise. 

If you come to Room Draw and request a double room but you don’t have a roommate, we will assign you a room with another person in the same situation. In order to exercise your own choice in the matter, we encourage you to find a roommate before Room Draw if possible. 

You will not have the option to indicate that you are “open to having a roommate” and not be assigned one at Room Draw. We’ve found that it is harder to pair first year students with returning students, so we’re pairing returning students with returning students instead. Particularly as we are consolidating floors in most residence halls, we will need to use the spaces we have a little more efficiently. 

I have a friend who will start at Houghton next Fall and we want to be roommates. How does that work?

We are happy to place you with a first year student if you already know that person and mutually request each other. Just let us know that person’s name at Room Draw and encourage your friend to request you on their Enrollment Profile & Roommate Selection Form. If that person does not request you, you will be charged for a double as a single. 

I’m an on-campus student but I’m not able to attend Room Draw. What should I do? 

Complete the Room Draw Participation Form and email your RD that your roommate (or a designated friend) can act as your proxy, selecting a room for you because you can’t be there in person. It is preferable that you attend in person if at all possible and the process will not take more than 30 minutes, so please consider rearranging your schedule so you are able to attend. 

I’m not currently on campus. How do I participate in Room Draw?  

Complete the Room Draw Participation Form and follow the above example of selecting a proxy student to represent you at room draw. 

If both roommates get a number for Room Draw (ex. Person A gets #12 and Person B gets #39), will they both need to attend Room Draw? 

As long as the information on the Room Draw Participation Forms lines up for both roommates (i.e. they list each other and the same building), the roommate with the lower number (Person A, #12) will be able to select a room on behalf of both roommates and the second roommate (Person B, #39) will not need to attend Room Draw at all. Both roommates would receive an email confirmation of the selected room.