Housing Selection & Lottery
2008-09 Westminster Lottery and Room Selection Information
Click here to download the 2008-09 Lottery and Room Selection Brochure (.pdf format)
Click here to download the 2008-09 Lottery and Room Selection Frequently Asked Questions (.pdf format)
Rider University Cashier Information:
The Cashier's Office will accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover). To pay by credit card, please call the Cashier's Office at 609-896-5000 x5390.
General Information for Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Period of Agreement
All housing agreements are made for the full academic year. At the discretion of the ADOS, a student may be dismissed from on-campus housing for the safety of the residential community. The student will be liable for full payment of residence fees unless dismissed, graduated, withdrawn or released from this agreement by the ADOS. Students who withdraw from the University after the first four weeks of classes are liable for full payment of tuition, room, board and other charges (see housing agreement for dates/deadlines). Students must officially check out of the residence halls within 24 hours of completing University withdrawal procedures and each student will be subject to these policies for the period of their residency.
Housing Requirements
All first and second year students must live on campus. EOP juniors and seniors wishing to live on campus will be guaranteed housing upon making a housing deposit. Students wishing to waive this requirement must be eligible as outlined in the Source and receive permission from the ADOS.
Housing Deposits
During the spring semester, students wishing to obtain on-campus housing for the following academic year must submit an advance deposit of $200 to be applied to their account the following semester. An additional $100 security deposit is required for incoming students. Deposits are accepted in the form of check or money order, cash, or credit card.
Deposits are refundable if:
The student withdraws due to medical reasons or military activation.
The student is dismissed by action of the Academic Standards Committee.
The student does not make housing lottery cut-off or is on the waitlist and is unable to be offered a space on campus.
Deposits are forfeited if:
Written notification of the student’s intention to withdraw is received after the applicable dates (see housing agreement for dates/deadlines).
The student is offered on campus housing and elects not to accept housing.
Housing Lottery
To determine the students eligible to live on campus and the order in which they will choose their rooms, all returning students who submitted a housing deposit are entered into the housing lottery. As fewer spaces are available in residence than students enrolled, upperclassmen are not guaranteed housing. Rising second year students are guaranteed housing and therefore are automatically submitted into the lottery to receive a room selection ranking number. The students who receive a housing lottery number are those who will be granted on campus housing and complete the room selection/assignment process.
Housing Application and Agreement
This contract is a legally binding agreement which, once signed, commits the student to campus housing and a meal plan for the full academic year. Any special housing requests due to illness or physical limitations must be submitted on this form with supporting documentation.
To complete the room selection/assignment process, the Housing Application and Agreement must be completed, signed, and returned to the ADOS. Students who have taken a leave of absence from the College and wish to return to campus housing should contact the ADOS as soon as they have confirmed their academic status.
Room Assignment Processes
Room assignments are made in the spring and summer for the following academic year. Each incoming student completes a Housing Application and Agreement. Roommate requests may be granted to incoming students when both students request the other on their Housing Application and Agreement (or on the Roommate Questionnaire) and both forms are received before July 1st. Returning students who have been granted housing through the housing lottery must find a roommate who is also eligible for housing. No single rooms will be granted at selection; if a student does not select a roommate, the student will be paired with one by the Residence Life Staff. The students may then complete room selection through one of the following processes:
1. Squatting: Should a student choose to keep the room he/she currently occupies and should that room be available for returning students, he/she will have the option of keeping his/her current room for the following year. In the event that both roommates wish to keep the room but do not want to live with each other, the student with the higher lottery number will have preference. All returning students who do not or cannot squat their current room then enter the regular room selection process.
2. Room Selection: The students remaining unassigned after squatting are divided into selection priority groups and ranked by lottery number within their appropriate group. The priority for the selection groups is as follows:
- 1st Displaced Students: Those students who were not eligible for squatting as their rooms were designated for another purpose.
- 2nd Rising Seniors
- 3rd Rising Juniors
- 4th Rising Sophomores
- 5th Off-campus residents wishing to return to campus housing
Pairs of roommates may then choose their assignment from the remaining available rooms in order of the highest ranking roommate.
Room Changes
Room selection does not guarantee students a particular room. The Residence Life Staff will make every effort to honor the preference established through room selection, but should circumstances arise that require a change, the ADOS may reassign students as outlined in the Housing Application and Agreement. When a roommate conflict becomes detrimental to the parties involved, the floor community at large and/or the greater Princeton campus community such that a satisfactory resolution is not possible, a room changed may be deemed necessary. No requests for room changes will be considered without a completed roommate agreement and mediation with an RA and/or RD. All final room changes are managed by the Residence Director of the appropriate building(s).
Please note: The ADOS can reassign students at any time without their agreement if such a move would protect the rights of the individuals involved, other resident students or staff, or University property. Repeated, flagrant violation of University regulations is seen as just cause for room reassignment, rustication from a particular hall and/or suspension from the residence halls.
Room Freeze
No room changes will be made in the first few weeks of the semester (room freeze period). Residence Life staff will receive requests for changes during this period, but no moves will be made until the announced end date.
Single Rooms
A single room may be granted only if no one is on the waiting list for housing and a student is the next on the singles waiting list. Students may be placed on the singles waiting list by filling out the appropriate paperwork located in the Associate Dean of Students Office.
Double Rooms
All rooms in the residence halls of the college were originally designed for multi-occupancy. The overwhelming majority of on-campus students live in double rooms with one roommate. If the circumstance arises in which additional housing space is required for on-campus residents, the college may designate some double rooms for triple occupancy.
Consolidation
When a vacancy exists in a double room, students must comply with one of the following:
Find a roommate or be assigned one by Residence Life.
Relocate to another room with a vacancy.
Pay for a double room as a single if there is no one on the waiting list for a room.
*Exceptions to the above can be made in unusual circumstances by the ADOS.*
