Daggett Lounge buzzed with nervous anticipation on Wednesday and Thursday evenings as students assembled for the quints and quads housing lotteries. Emotions ran from excited relief to frustrated disappointment as more blocks were entered in both lotteries than there were rooms available. According to the Office of Residential Life (ResLife), 75 students—all first years—in 13 blocks entered the quint lottery for 65 total beds. 376 students in 79 blocks entered the quad lottery for 312 beds.
Both lotteries were originally scheduled for Wednesday evening, but ResLife postponed the quad lottery one day due to an email mixup. According to Assistant Direct for Residential Life Chris Rossi, the junior class "didn't get the reminders we sent about the application for the deadline for the quad lottery."
In an email sent Wednesday evening, Associate Director of Housing Operations Lisa Rendall explained that the quad lottery had to be delayed so as to not "disadvantage any students." As a result, ResLife redistributed lottery numbers on yesterday afternoon.
The quint lottery proceeded smoothly, finishing in only 30 minutes. All the groups with top-10 picks chose suites in Stowe Hall, except for the group with the second pick, who opted for Stowe Inn. Most students explained their preference for Stowe Hall based on its convenient location and spacious rooms.
"We wanted be on campus," said Adam Eichenwald '14, whose block had the first pick. "Stowe is close to Thorne and closer to classes than Stowe Inn."
"We wanted to bring back the legacy of Stowe Inn," said Dylan Hannes '14 explaining his block's decision to opt for Stowe Inn over Stowe Hall.
Three blocks left the lottery without housing. All the students plan to enter the chem-free lottery tomorrow, and drop down into the triples and doubles lottery next week if necessary.
"We got shafted," said Dylan Hammer '14, whose block had the 12th pick. Hammer and his block entered the chem-free lottery in hope of securing a quad, but were assigned lottery number 72—out of a total of 73.
One quint in Stowe Inn remained unclaimed and will, according to Rendall, be shuffled into the doubles and the open room lottery.
The quad lottery also went off without major incident, though the volume of entrants stretched the process out to two hours. The long wait created some irritation among students who had high lottery numbers.
"They should do this online, it's not a rock concert...I don't really want to be here for two hours," said Dani Chediak '13. Chediak and her block had pick 58—one of the last picks in the lottery to receive a room—and ended up in Pine Street Apartments.
Rooms in Chamberlain Hall went the fastest. The block with the first pick, a group of juniors, opted for Chamberlain Hall and left grinning with the satisfaction that they had secured a spot in the "biggest and nicest housing on campus," according to Alain Mattheiu '12.
The 19th pick, another group of rising seniors, claimed the last quad in Chamberlain.
Rooms in Coles Tower were the next to fill up—the last room was filled by the 46th lottery pick. Most students who chose the Tower cited the central location, the views and the single bed rooms as significant plus factors.
"We wanted to be on the center of campus and be close to Thorne," said Hope Gimbel '12, whose block had the eighth pick.
Rossi was not surprised at this outcome, explaining that "Chamberlain quads always go fast; so do the upper level Tower rooms."
After suites in Coles Tower were chosen, Harpswell apartments, Cleaveland Street apartments and Pine Street apartments filled up, in that order. As the evening went on, waiting students were less discriminating about where to live and instead were eager just to secure a room.
Ben Wei '13 and his block were glad to secure two units at Pine Street Apartments with their the 53rd pick.
"We wanted Harpswell or the Tower, but the Tower was full and there was only one apartment left at Harpswell and we didn't want to split up."
The 61st block had the final pick of the evening and took the last apartment at Pine Street, leaving the 18 blocks below them without housing for the time being.
Melissa Arliss '13 was disappointed, but remained hopeful. Her block had the 68th slot and planned on "dropping down into the doubles lottery for Brunswick Apartments."
Tristan McCormick '13 was deeply frustrated. His block of eight sophomores had the 62nd pick, just missing the cutoff for the quad lottery.
"We were number 60 yesterday," McCormick explained. His block's number had been changed when ResLife redistributed lottery numbers. He was not optimistic about his housing prospects for next year.
"I'm going to live in a yurt," he said. "It's a forced quad with no laundry facilities."