In the midst of the housing selection process, the priority off-campus lottery took place this week for upperclassmen. All of the groups that registered for the two-person lottery were able to select a unit on Tuesday, said Director of Residence Life Grace Reynolds.

The three-person priority lottery took place yesterday.

“We expect that there will be at most two groups that are unable to select,” Reynolds wrote in an email.

Despite the ongoing plans of campus expansion, the majority of priority groups have been able to secure off-campus housing.

“There have been years in the past when a greater number of priority groups were unable to select an off-campus house [or] apartment through the lottery,” Reynolds wrote.

The college owned off-campus houses on McCartney Street used to serve as senior housing as well. These houses are the site of the future McCartney Dorm Project that has yet to be approved by the City of Easton. As such, the houses were vacant this past year, and will remain vacant, Vice President of Finance and Administration Roger Demareski said.

The construction project is set to provide more beds to the college’s expanding student body. While it has yet to be approved, the college is bringing the project back to city council by early May.

“We’ve demonstrated we’re willing to be as flexible as we can. But we also have certain needs in the project that we can’t give up on. I think the neighbors are realizing that and they’ve also articulated what they don’t want either. So I think we’re definitely on the right path,” Demareski said.

Apart from the option to live in college-owned properties off campus, rising seniors could also apply for permission to rent private houses. This process started at the end of the fall semester and has already concluded.

“Those who apply for, and receive permission for private off-campus housing are able to seek and secure an apartment on their own,” Reynolds wrote in an email.

In order to assist students in the house seeking process, Residence Life compiles a list of past landlords who leased their houses to students in previous years. However, according to Reynolds, most students are well equipped independently and proactively do research and reach out to potential landlords. 

Easton parking permits will become less available for students living in college-owned properties on college hill as per the new proposed zoning ordinance changes.

“As stated, a college or university student living on a mixed use residence hall, owned or managed by the college, is not eligible for a College Hill Permit.” It is unclear whether this applies to college-owned houses and apartments.