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BY ERIC MILES GLOVER

In print | Published April 21, 2005

Worth, Wharton, Parrish and Alice Paul closed on Monday night during the Class of 2007 housing lottery, Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal’s last housing lottery.

Willets and Mary Lyons have the most rooms remaining while Hallowell and Dana have the fewest, with only one double and two female doubles remaining, respectively. Two Lodges for five occupants each, one of whom must be female are also still available.

Instead of beginning the wait list for singles after all available singles were taken, the Housing Committee decided to exclude Mary Lyons basement from the list of taken singles this year, because, in the past, students wanting singles were forced into taking Mary Lyons basement singles only to apply for room changes. “I think this is a better system,” Westphal said. All singles except for those in Mary Lyons basement were taken by the end of the Class of 2007 housing lottery.

Though only five singles remain in Mary Lyons, there are 20 students on the wait list for singles and the first lottery number on the list is 685. There are two other waiting lists: one for doubles and another for room changes.

While Wharton and Alice Paul one-room doubles were the most popular, Parrish was the first residence hall to close. “Part of it is what kinds of rooms these places have,” she said. Though Parrish closed first, Westphal noted that popularity was only one reason for the quick closing of Parrish, as the dorm lost 40 beds due to renovation.

Mary Lyons was also popular, as lottery numbers 47 and 48 took rooms in the residence hall, according to Westphal. “There are people who have preferences all over the place,” she said.

During the Housing Lottery, Westphal works to ensure that students find themselves in what she calls “happy circumstances.” In addition, when evaluating wait list and room change applications, Westphal said she aims to keep the happiness of all students in mind.

Westphal said that the number of special needs rooms — rooms set aside for transfer students, health reasons, exchange students and computer technicians — was overestimated and she does not expect to use all these rooms for special needs.

In addition, she said the number of beds reserved for incoming freshmen is 400, though the Admissions Office expects no more than 380 students to attend Swarthmore this fall. Westphal said she does not foresee a housing crunch, but will not be certain until the Class of 2008 housing lottery.

Despite the number of available rooms, Westphal acknowledged that students continue to struggle yearly for desirable housing. Westphal said the housing lottery is stressful because it combines an emphasis on friendships with an element of the unknown. “It starts putting your friendships into concrete terms,” she said. However, Westphal said students sometimes forfeit a good number and single for a double with a friend with a less gainful number. “Some put people over real estate,” she said.

Veronica Medina ’07 took a one-room double in Wharton after compiling a list of desired rooms. Her lottery number was 757. “We … created a list of possible doubles and, basically, all … the ones had gone except for that one,” she said. Medina, who currently lives in Mary Lyons, chose the Wharton double because she wanted to live on campus but is not especially happy with her decision. She said she would have preferred a one-room double in Dana or Hallowell instead.

Amanda Vacharat ‘06 used her lottery number 51 to take a one-room double in Alice Paul for allergy reasons. Relative to past lotteries, she said 51 was the best number she has had in her time at Swarthmore. Though students complain about the hospital aesthetic of the new dorm, Alice Paul’s image does not bother her. “I kind of like the cleanliness of it,” she said. “I think clean is really good.”

Scott Blaha ‘07 took a room on Parrish Fourth West. His lottery number was 442, and the sophomore lottery numbers ranged from 395 to 777. "That’s not where I wanted to be, though," he said.

Blaha wanted to live in Mertz next year, but he submitted his block application late. He said that, considering the results of housing lottery from years past, his number would have guaranteed him a single in Mertz. He is unsure if he likes his new home in Parrish. “I don’t want to say ‘no,’ but I don’t want to say ‘yes,’” he said.

No lotteries were held on Tuesday to give the class of 2008 time to weigh housing options after the junior and senior lotteries had been held.

“I’m thinking about Mary Lyons or Willets,” Joseph Borkowski ‘08 said. His lottery number is 839 and the freshmen lottery numbers range from 790 to 1156. Borkowski did not like Parrish, his future roommate does not like Hallowell or Dana, and none like Pittenger, Palmer or Roberts. Mary Lyons and Willets are their top choices "because of what’s left." “I would’ve loved to block in Alice Paul,” he said.

Westphal will miss coordinating the Housing Lottery once Elizabeth Derickson ‘01 assumes her position at the end of the semester. “I will miss it,” she said. "It’s kind of fun to be able to answer peoples’ questions and give them advice."

The results of yesterday’s class of 2008 housing lottery were unavailable at press time.

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