752 students are predicted to register for on-campus housing starting today, according to Assistant Director of Housing and Operations Priya Basnyat.
According to Director of Community Living Joey Koehn, Community Living is introducing a few changes to the process this year, including updated criteria for registration, extending the registration period by an additional week and dedicated single options in Seaton. Koehn also said the office has partnered with GradGuard to offer students the option of signing up for renters insurance.
To support students as they go through the process, Koehn said Community Living has hosted in-person informational sessions, as well as sending regular emails with reminders and updates.
San Diego first-year Will Pentland said he attended one of these sessions at Wesley Hall, where Koehn guided him through the steps one by one. Pentland added that he advises other students to take advantage of the help the college provides.
“It was easy,” Pentland said.
New Criteria for Housing Form
Using the eRezLife platform through the Office of Community Living, Basnyat said students have navigated this year’s housing selection process through a series of forms. Before students can fill out the initial housing information form, they must first meet certain standards, which Koehn said were designed around “student success.”
“We feel by meeting these criteria, it’s setting them up for success in the grand scheme of being a student at Albion College,” Koehn said.
To access the form, Koehn said students must first have no financial holds on their account, something he added can be resolved with a visit to the Student Accounting Office.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, sophomore Michelle Ochirbet said her suitemate found out she had a hold on her account through navigating the housing process and was able to resolve it after meeting with Community Living in person.
“She didn’t know about (it), I think this process helped her a lot to find out,” Ochirbet said.
The second rule applies to members of Albion College’s fraternities, who Koehn said “have to live within their house if the fraternity has a house.”
According to Koehn, the third barrier prevents students graduating or otherwise leaving the college this semester from accessing the form, since they will have no need to register for future housing.
Extended Registration, Singles in Seaton
Dallas sophomore Austin Díaz said so far the housing process has been “pretty good,” but that forming a roommate group has been challenging.
“(We) can’t find a fourth roommate,” Díaz said. “So we’re getting an apartment instead.”
Another change Community Living is implementing this registration season, Koehn said, is meant to help students like Díaz who don’t yet have a full roommate group together. Instead of having to wait for an assignment over the summer, the office is working to allow students to register for half a suite the week after registration starts, from April 13-16.
“After the first week, for everybody that can fill a space, we’re going to look and see what we’re able to open up as a free inventory for students,” Koehn said.
Another change Koehn said Community Living is “excited” to offer is the availability of designated single occupancy rooms in Seaton. Though students can still apply for singles through the accommodations form, Basnyat said the second floor of Seaton will be all singles, available on a “first-come-first-serve” basis without an additional application.
By projecting next semester’s student housing needs, Koehn said Community Living has removed half of the furniture from these double rooms to make them “true” singles.
“We know that that is a desire from our campus population, and we want to meet students with what they’re hoping to see within the housing community,” Koehn said.
GradGuard: Student Renters Insurance
Another addition students may have noticed while filling out the initial roommate profile form is the option to sign up for renters insurance through a company Koehn said partners with eRezLife: GradGuard.
According to GradGuard’s website, their coverage is “designed for college life and contains exclusive features for students and families that you can’t access with other companies.”
While starting the housing process, Pentland said he recalled seeing the option to opt into the insurance program but chose not to.
“Honestly, I don’t think I need it,” Pentland said.
Koehn said signing up for renters insurance on campus is optional, adding that if students “have family supporters that have homeowners insurance, they can add a renters insurance plan to that.”
“Students oftentimes don’t realize that, let’s say there is, unfortunately, a fire in a building, and the water suppression system goes off and your TV is damaged. Those are items that the college will not reimburse,” Koehn said. “But students could file a claim under their renters insurance.”
For More Information
For students with questions about the process, Koehn said the Office of Community Living is “open” to messages and visits, adding that they’re “more than happy to help.”
Koehn added that planning ahead is “super helpful” and gives students the opportunity to solve problems and make requests ahead of time.
Ochirbet, who said she has been navigating a “complicated situation” with her housing, added that Community Living “helps a lot.”
“They have (an) answer for every question,” Ochirbet said.
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