Despite cautions from Residential Life earlier in the spring semester that it might be unable to guarantee on-campus housing to all interested University of Massachusetts students, ResLife has announced that it will house the approximately 8,000 students who requested a housing appointment.

“Last week when we posted appointments on Friday, we were able to notify juniors and seniors that had on-time appointments that we met demand,” said Director of Student Services Dawn Bond.

To meet the demand, ResLife added approximately 300 economy triples – doubles used to house three people – in the Washington, Emerson, Coolidge, John Quincy Adams, John Adams, Butterfield and Thoreau dormitories, according to Bond.

“It took the economy triples [to meet demand],” said Bond, who acknowledged the economy triples are less desirable than some of the other options.

“It’s about the spaces that are available,” she said. “Some students might not want them, but … I am able to meet demand.”

As of 6 p.m. Sunday, economy triples and quads were the only rooming assignments available to rising juniors and seniors.

There were four quad spaces left in Orchard Hill’s Field and Grayson Halls. Southwest also had economy triples left in Coolidge (22), John Adams (14) and JQA (23).

According to Bond, these spaces – which were reserved for juniors and seniors – will be open to sophomores as of this morning.

“These spaces will be desirable,” said Bond. “Those bed spaces will go in Tuesday morning and sophomores will be able to pick into them if they are still available.”

Rising juniors and seniors have until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday to select an appointment. If they do not meet this deadline, they will have to find off-campus housing, according to Bond.

“You essentially said you don’t want to live on campus [if you don’t use your appointment],” said Bond.

There is no cancellation fee for not using an appointment, said Bond.

ResLife also might run a second housing selection process for the approximately 80 current freshmen who failed to select an appointment, depending on the spaces remaining after room selection ends, according to Bond.

“For late rising sophomores, I can’t say guarantee, I can’t say for sure, but I think we will be able to run a late process for them,” said Bond.

The process will only be open to rising sophomores, as they were the only group that the Residence Hall Association – a student group that advises ResLife – said should be guaranteed housing, according to Bond.

The decision of whether or not this second process will run will be made Monday, April 23, said Bond.

Students who are unhappy with their housing selection can elect to participate in the summer change process, where ResLife posts vacancies on SPIRE – the University’s content management system – and students are given the opportunity to switch into the open rooms. This process will not be open to those who did not select a housing appointment or did not select a room during the current process.

“There is the ability to upgrade and change your assignment within that process,” said Bond. “Will everybody get what they want in the summer change process? No. Again, it’s just numbers.”

A summer selection process will begin on June 9, according to Bond. During the process, ResLife will input the student room cancellations at random points during the day, creating openings that other students can take advantage of.

“It’s like dominos,” said Bond.  “If we put in a bunch of vacancies and students who are in rooms pick into those vacancies then their rooms become available and then that could be what someone is looking for. So there is constant change.”

Bond advised students looking to use the summer process to switch rooms to check SPIRE daily during the summer.

Katie Landeck can be reached at [email protected].