The Residential Life Handbook

7) Housing Assignments

Current OBU students sign up for Fall housing each Spring through a point system. Students are awared points for their GPA, their academic classification, and the number of terms that they have resided on campus at OBU. Students sign up for housing with their roommates. This system is designed to be objective in nature while rewarding students for academic achievement and persistance. All students should familiarize themselves with the process and ask questions prior to sign ups if they don't understand the system or have special circumstances which affect their housing arrangements.

a) Steps for housing assignments

STEP ONE:

Point totals will be determined and Housing Authorization Notices distributed on Monday, February 25, 2008 through campus mail.

• Housing Authorization Notices will include the following: name, number of semesters lived on campus at OBU, classification (as of May 2008), and GPA along with the associated point totals.

Point Totals will be determined as follows:

Points awarded for GPA:
Students will have their actual GPA doubled and added into the point total to create the final point total for each student.

Points awarded for Classification:
(Hours earned plus hours currently attempting)

Senior (90+) = 4 points
Junior (60-89) = 3 points
Sophomore (30-59) = 2 points
Freshman (0-29) = 1 point

Points awarded for number of terms that the student has lived on campus at OBU:
(Includes Fall, J-term, and Spring terms only)

1 term = 1 point
2 terms = 2 points
3 terms = 3 points
4 terms = 4 points etc.

Points awarded for attending a housing meeting with your original point sheet:
1 point is granted for presenting an original housing autorization notice at housing assignments.

STEP TWO:

Select Roommate(s) and Location

• Determine who you would like to room with next fall, what type of housing all of you prefer, and which buildings you prefer.
• All residents are required to have selected the proper number of roommates, apartment-mates, or suitemates in order to sign up for housing. In other words, residents must be in a group of four to sign up for Howard Apartments, West University Apartments, Howard Dormitory, MacArthur Apartments, Taylor Residence Hall, Midland Apt. E, and the suites in Agee. A resident desiring to sign up for Midland Apartments A-D or East Dev 1-3 must have a group of three. Students wishing to sign up for apartments 4-9 in East Dev, must have a group of two. Finally, students wishing to sign up for a room in Agee or Kerr must have a group of two or a signed Private Room Disclaimer (see info below).
• Squatter's rights: A student may request to remain in his/her current room or apartment (with the exception of WMU) and will have priority to do so over other students regardless of their classification or date of deposit. In other words, a current apartment resident need only select room/apartment-mates (or keep current if they quality), and attend the Squatter's Rights Night of Housing Sign Ups. Failure to attend the appropriate housing sign up night will result in the forfeiture of squatter's rights.
• If a student wants to take advantage of Squatter's Rights, he/she must have a group of the proper size and classification for the requested housing. At least one person in the group must be a current resident of the requested room or apartment. All members of the group must have a Housing Authorization Notice from Residential Life.
• If a resident is lacking the proper number of roommates, apartment-mates, or suitemates, he/she may attend a meeting on February 25, 2008 at 10:30 p.m. downstairs in the Geiger Center to meet other residents who need room, apartment and/or suitemates. In addition, he/she will have the opportunity to fill out a form indicating that he/she are looking for room, apartment, or suitemates which will be posted outside of GC 206 for the duration of Housing Sign Ups.

STEP THREE:

Housing Sign Up Nights

• Add the total points in your group and check for the sign up date and time appropriate for your group.
• One member of your group can represent the whole group. This representative(s) must bring ALL Housing Authorization Notices for the group.
• Be on time! Groups or group representatives arriving late will not sign up until after all other groups with the same point total range have selected housing.
• When authorized by a staff member, your group will approach the table for the building of your choice and sign up for a room or apartment (if one is still available).
• Once your name is written on floor plans, that room or apartment becomes your official housing assignment and you will be billed accordingly. If your roommate(s), suitemate(s), or apartment-mate(s) decides not to return to OBU or not to live in on-campus housing, the remaining students may stay in the room or apartment. Residential Life may need to make assignments quickly and cannot guarantee advanced notice prior to filling the vacancy.
• If you have applied for and been approved to live off campus, you are NOT eligible to sign up for housing. Off-campus housing applications are due no later than July 15.

  b) Apartment Information

  Apartments are reserved for junior and seniors only (except in rare circumstances when a freshman or sophomore has a demonstrated medical need to live in apartment-style housing). Priority is given to current apartment residents wishing to return to their same apartment (Squatter's Rights).

  Only "complete" groups are eligible to sign up in apartments. No over or under-capacity groups are allowed.

  We have over 650 students who will be juniors and senior for the Fall of 2007. However, there are only 309 apartment spaces available on campus. Please be aware that this means that a number of juniors and seniors may not secure an apartment for the Fall of 2007.

  c) Dorm Information

  Students of all classification are allowed to live in dormitory-style housing. WMU Dormitory is reserved for freshman women. Taylor Residence Center is reserved for sophomore, junior, and senior women who have lived on campus at OBU for a least two semesters. Howard Dormitory is reserved for sophomore, junior and senior women.

  Only "complete" groups are eligible to sign up for the suites in TRC, HRC, and ARC (a complete group is four students).

  Private rooms are only available in Kerr and Agee. In order to sign up for a private room, a resident must bring a signed private room disclaimer with him/her to the appropriate Housing Sign Up Night (Disclaimers are available in GC 206 Office and on Housing Sign Up Nights.) Those signing up for private rooms are allowed to double their points in order to compete fairly for their room.

  d) Housing Sign Up Schedule

  All residents (dorm and apartment) participating in squatter's rights:

  Monday, March 3, 2008 - GC 219-220

  6:45 p.m. Residents who feel their point totals are incorrect may bring proof of classification, or GPA along with their Housing Authorization Notice to be considered for a change in their point total. Also, students who would like to pick up a Private Room Disclaimer may do so at this time.

  *Arrive 15 minutes prior to your time to have point totals verified.

  7 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 70-84
  7:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 67-69
  7:40 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 58-66
  8 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 49-57
  8:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 42-48
  8:40 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 0-41

  Apartment Sign Up Night

  Thursday, March 6, 2008 - GC 218-220

  6:45 p.m. Residents who feel their point totals are incorrect may bring proof of classification, or GPA along with their Housing Authorization Notice to be considered for a change in their point total.

  *Arrive 15 minutes prior to your time to have point totals verified.

  *Note that you will be given limited time to select an apartment.

  7 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 66-84
  7:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 60-65
  7:40 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 55-59
  8 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 49-54
  8:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 42-48
  8:40 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 0-41

  Dorm Sign Up Night

  Tuesday, March 11, 2008 - GC 219-220

  6:45 p.m. Residents who feel their point totals are incorrect may bring proof of classification, or GPA along with their Housing Authorization Notice to be considered for a change in their point total.

  *Arrive 15 minutes prior to your time to have point totals verified.

  *Note that you will be given limited time to select a dorm.

  7:00 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 50-84
  7:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 44-49
  7:40 p.m..	Group point totals ranging from 38-43
  8:00 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 32-37
  8:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 27-31
  8:40 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 21-26
  9:00 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 15-20
  9:20 p.m.	Group point totals ranging from 0-14

  
  Waiting List

  Due to high demand for apartments and suite-style housing, the Residential Life office maintains a waiting list. Students who fail to obtain an apartment or suite through the housing sign up process can submit a Waiting List Application. These applications are available at Housing Sign Ups as well as in the Residential Life Office (GC 206).

  Applications for the Fall 2008 Waiting List are due to the Residential Life Office by 5 pm on Friday, March 31, 2008. Students are allowed to sign up for the waiting list in groups of four, three, two, or as single individuals.

  Waiting list notifications will be emailed to each student on the waiting list at their OBU email address no later than April 7th. Updates to the waiting list will be sent to each students' OBU email address during finals week. Throughout the summer, students may check on their status by emailing housing@okbu.edu.

  Late Housing Application Process

  Failure to participate in Housing Sign Ups requires that students participate in a late housing application process. A housing hold will be placed on the record of all students who do not sign up for housing. This hold will prevent residents from enrolling for the fall. The Residential Life Office (GC 206) has "Late Applications" available which must be completed and returned with a housing deposit receipt before the hold will be cleared and enrollment allowed. Those students who apply using the late application process will receive their housing assignments in early summer. They also must understand that they lose all priority in the housing process and that new students will be assigned prior to their assignments being made.

  e) New Student Assignments

  Once the current student housing sign ups have been completed, the office begins work on new student assignments. The process is much the same with one major exception. New students who do not request a roommate are matched through the computer system based on several criteria. Currently the criteria that are being used include whether the student is a morning or night person, the type of music they listen to, their major, their hometown, their interest in athletics, their classification, and whether they like to study alone or with others. For new students, assignments are solely based on the date that they completed their file (accepted for admissions, applied for housing, and enrollment guarantee paid).

  New student assignments are made during April and released for the first time on the New Student Early Enrollment Day on the first Saturday in May of each year. Students who do not attend early enrollment will receive their assignment in the mail during the following week. Again, requests for changes are accepted and processed as quickly as possible.

  f) Living Off Campus

  A long-standing tradition of Oklahoma Baptist University has been the provision of a residential campus. This position has been affirmed through research, which reveals that if students remain in campus housing they are more likely to complete their college education, develop a strong spiritual formation, participate in campus activities, adjust to various social situations, and establish lifelong friendships with students and faculty.

  Oklahoma Baptist University shall continue the commitment made to Oklahoma Baptists to provide a residential campus. While traditional students are rarely given permission to live off campus, the university remains sensitive to those few extremely unusual circumstances which make living off campus necessary for the student's well-being or continuance with the university.

  All unmarried students enrolled in eight or more hours must reside in University housing except students who:

  1. reside with parent(s) or immediate family;
  2. secure employment for which payment is, or includes housing;
  3. have attained the age of twenty-one (21), or shall during the semester for which the request is made; or,
  4. have attained senior status (a minimum of 90 credit hours) prior to the semester for which the request is made.

  The amount of financial assistance that a student may receive from the University is affected by the living status of that student. Prior to pursuing off-campus housing, a student should visit with his/her Student Financial Services Counselor to determine exactly how his//her financial aid and scholarships will be affected.

  g) Procedures for Obtaining Permission to Live Off Campus

  1. Fill out the "Off-Campus Housing Request Form" in the Office of Residential Life(GC 206). All requests must be submitted by the following dates:

  Requests for spring semester must be filed by December 15
  Requests for fall semester must be filed by July 15
  REQUESTS RECEIVED AFTER THESE DATES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED UNTIL THE NEXT SEMESTER.
  

  2. The Assistant Dean of Students will screen the requests. Persons who meet usual criteria exemptions will be released from the on-campus housing requirement. Students who do not meet the exemptions will be notified of such in writing by the Assistant Dean of Students and will need to apply for on-campus housing and pay a housing deposit (if they have not already done so).

  *When students have requests pending during the time in which room assignments are made, they should reserve a place in on-campus housing until the decision is made.

  *Students should NOT sign a lease or other commitment for an off-campus dwelling until they have been granted permission to live off campus by the Director and/or the Dean. Leases signed in advance of receiving permission will NOT constitute a reason for allowing the student to live off campus, and may result in burdensome financial obligations for the student. Each student will be informed of the University's decision regarding their application by way of a letter.

  Students who are living off campus in violation of University policy or who provide false and misleading information will be subject to disciplinary action which may include suspension from the University.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: No requests to move off campus will be granted after the deadlines listed above. As a result, no refunds will be given to students who move out of on-campus housing during the semester (unless they withdraw from classes).