Although college houses attracted only approximately 175 applicants for 200 slots this year, the Office of Residential Life and the Inter-House Council (IHC) are optimistic that next year's college houses will be enthusiastic and active in the Bowdoin community.
Director of Residential Life said that she was happy with the 175 applications, a number on par with prior years.
Each of the eight colleges houses received approximately the same number of applications.
Pacelli is quite optimistic about the applicants, noting that they seem "interested and engaged" in the process.
IHC President Alex Lamb '07 similarly said that she is "confident we will create excellent houses for next year."
There was a large amount of initial enthusiasm among potential applicants to the houses, with more than 300 applications circulating among students. However, this eagerness did not translate into a significantly larger number of submitted applications, compared to past years.
Pacelli is unsure of the reason for this outcome, but "would love to hear from students who picked up applications but did not apply."
Possible reasons may include changes in the applications themselves. Also, the decrease in block size from eight people to four implemented this year may have split up groups of friends who would have otherwise applied together.
Pacelli stressed that decreasing the block size was "the right thing to do; it really emphasizes diversity in the college houses."
Lamb elaborated further on this decision, explaining that it "allows for better understanding the group dynamics" and permits the house selection committees to "let in more excited, enthusiastic people."
The plans for two new college houses to be paired with the two soon-to-be newly renovated and available first-year dorms (Maine and Winthrop halls), remain unchanged by the low application rate relative to house capacity.
Pacelli noted that the two new houses would decrease the number of affiliations for each house, making it easier for all of the houses to do programming.
Pacelli elaborated that it can be challenging when students have a large number of affiliates.
Shrinking the size of affiliations "could be a helpful change," she said, especially since there are many "students saying they wish the affiliations were stronger."
Since applicants alone will not fill the houses, the empty spaces in each house will be placed in the regular housing lottery in April.
The students who are placed into each house do not necessarily have to become active in the house's activities.
"Students wouldn't be held to the same standards," said Pacelli. But, she said, in the past many students whom the lottery placed into houses decided they wanted to engage in programming.
If there were students whose lack of motivation was affecting the dynamic of the house, however, Pacelli said that residential life would "try to endorse a small group of people who were involved."
"When numbers were low in the past," Pacelli said, the College House System was "still successful."