The consolidation process occurs after the census and room-switch day are complete. No room changes are allowed from move-in day until room-switch day.
What is the consolidation process?
Consolidation requires those students in under-assigned rooms or apartments to move to a new space with a roommate or to accept a new roommate. The consolidation process occurs because the University is obligated to maximize bed space for new and returning students and to be as equitable as possible. When students sign the housing agreement, they agree to live in a double room with another individual. We hold all students accountable to this for several reasons:
- To provide students with the full college experience by allowing them to experience the learning opportunities of living with a fellow Spartan
- To ensure that residents pay for the room and living arrangements for which they agreed
- To provide for the safety and security of all individuals living on campus
How does the consolidation process work?
Students who have not been granted or purchased a designated single room but find themselves without a roommate will be subject to room consolidation. After room-switch day occurs, all students still without a roommate will be consolidated by the Office of Residential Life and given email instructions about how and when to move in the following week. If your roommate leaves for any reason during the semester, you will be required to consolidate. Any new vacancy in a room after consolidation will not be required to consolidate for the duration of that semester, but any following semesters (including January Session) will require consolidation. Simply waiting or stalling any consolidation move in the hopes that consolidation will not happen will result in disciplinary action and/or you being charged for a single for the entire semester.
Students in these circumstances will be given three options (provided no students have yet to be moved from any temporary housing):
- Pay for a single room for the remainder of the academic year (upper-class students only).
- Have another student who is living alone move in with them.
- Move into a room that is occupied by another student living alone who did not pay for a single room.
When conflicts as to moving occur, the student with the least number of earned credits will be required to move. First-year students do not have the option of paying for a single room but must consolidate with another student living alone. Students who lose their roommates, creating a new vacancy after the consolidation process will not be subject to consolidation but could still receive a roommate at any time and must leave half of the room ready for a new roommate at a moment’s notice. Students living in three- and four-person rooms or apartments which are not filled to capacity will also be subject to consolidation.
Students who deliberately attempt to remove a roommate in order to obtain a single may be required to move from the existing room into another double-occupancy arrangement, and may be subject to disciplinary action. Students who fail to consolidate may be billed retroactively for a single room, and/or may be subject to disciplinary action. The University reserves the right to make changes in the residency assignments, if necessary, for the most effective accommodation of the student body.
Will I have to leave my hall?
No. You will only be consolidated with individuals from your hall, but this does not guarantee that you will remain on the same floor within your hall.
Do I have to stay on my floor/in my building if I want to move somewhere else?
First-year students will only be allowed to move to or consolidate in the First-Year Living Community buildings/floors of East and Garver. Sophomores, juniors and seniors may move to a different building as long as they are moving into an available space with another roommate. No student will be allowed to move into a fully open double room alone unless they are purchasing the room as a single, but will only be allowed to move into a fully open double with another student.
Will I be charged if I cannot find a roommate?
No. If there is an odd number of roommate pairs you may not have a roommate, but one could be placed in your room at any time so half of the space will need to remain “move-in ready” at all times.
Can I buy out my double room as a single room?
First-year students are required to have a roommate and will not have the option of buying out a room. Upper-class students can request to buy out their rooms as singles, if space allows. Please note that space can be limited in a given building, and a request does NOT guarantee a single room. Our office will contact you with approval or denial of your request based on space needs.
What if I don’t know anyone else to live with?
The Office of Residential Life is available to help students in this situation. You can reach out to your Resident Assistant and/or Hall Director to help find other students looking for roommates or you can contact Residential Life directly. Residential Life will also offer some programs and events to meet other students looking for roommates during key times of the semester. Residential Life is always willing to match you with a new roommate, help you get to know that new person, and work on a roommate agreement to live together as comfortably as possible.