Fall 2012 Room Changes

Forms

• Room Change Request Form (PDF) -- will be available to download starting Friday, Sept 7, 2012.
• Roommate / Suitemate Request Form (PDF)
   

Important Dates

Room Change Request Process

• This process is for Barnard Sophomore, Junior, and Senior students only (first-year students who may be experiencing difficulties with their roommate(s) should speak to their RA).
• Columbia University students living in Barnard residence halls are not eligible to participate in this process and there is no switching permitted between BC-designated and CU-designated spaces (please consult CU Housing for information about room changes for CU students).
• Students who submit a Room Change Request form are expected to inform their roommate(s)/suitemates(s) of their request, in order to give them an opportunity to either submit a Room Change Request form of their own or try to recruit a new roommate/suitemate.
• Once submitted, Request forms may not be altered unless they are withdrawn (in writing) and/or then resubmitted as a new application.  Request forms may not be withdrawn after the due date (Friday, September 14, 2012, 4pm).
• The RL&H staff will review all submitted Room Change Request forms.  Decisions made by this group are final.  There is no guarantee that all applicants will receive a room change as a result of submitting a Request form.
• You may request to make a 1-for-1 swap with another student OR you may specify a set of criteria for which types of rooms or locations they would be willing to move to. 
• If you wish to move into a specific vacant space, you may specify that on your Request form.  The roommate(s)/suitemate(s) of that vacancy should also submit a Roommate/Suitemate Request Form (available above) requesting you.  This can improve your chances of receiving the room change but does not guarantee it.
• You must complete the room change if granted, as other room changes will be dependent on the room you are vacating.
• If granted a room change, you will be responsible for coordinating your move (if applicable) with both the person moving out of the space you are moving into and the person moving into the space you vacate.  Email addresses will be provided.
• Room "buy-outs" (paying the single room rate to take a double as a single) are not available during the Fall semester (and will likely no longer be available during the Spring semester due to the increase in the Visiting International Student Program). Spaces in multiple rooms that are not assigned through the Fall Room Change process may be asigned as late room changes to students.
• The spaces available for room changes are extremely limited. We cannot guarantee that students will receive a room change through this process. Students who are not able to get a room change during the Fall Room Change process are encouraged to reapply during the December Room Change Process (more rooms are available for the Spring due to large number of students leaving to study abroad).
• If granted a room change to a more expensive room type (i.e. moving from a multiple to a single), you will be responsible for submitting payment to the Bursar for the the prorated increase in room rate.  If you are moving to a less expensive room type (i.e. moving from a single to a multiple), you will receive a prorated credit on your Bursar account.
• If granted a room change to a location that requires a more comprehensive meal plan (i.e. moving to floors 2-8 of the Quad), you will be required to complete paperwork with the Bursar office to change to the Quad Upperclass Meal Plan.  If you receive a room change to a location outside floors 2-8 of the Quad and wish to change to a less comprehensive meal plan, you will need to complete paperwork with the Bursar office.

What can I do to improve my chances of getting a room change?

The more flexible the criteria you specify on your Room Change Request form (indicating what types/locations of rooms you’d be willing to switch to), the more likely a room change may be possible.  However, students should only specify room types & residence halls they would be willing to live in because all granted room changes must be completed.

What if there is a vacancy in my room/suite or my roommate/suitemate gets a room change?

You will more than likely be assigned a new roommate/suitemate.  If you know someone specific who is interested in moving into that vacant space and submits a Room Change Request form requesting to do so, you should submit a Roommate/Suitemate Request form to the RL&H Office by 4pm on Friday, September 14, 2012, mutually requesting them.  The names and signatures of all roommates and/or suitemates must be on the form.  No late forms will be accepted. Also, please note that not all applicants will receive a room change (so your roommate/suitemate may not get a room change).

If a space remains open in your room / suite after the Room Change Request process, you must continue to keep this space open and ready for occupancy at any time. Residential Life & Housing will give students as much advance notice as possible about newly assigned roommates/suitemates, but sometime advance notice is not possible.  Vacancies may be used later in the semester for emergency room changes.

If you have any questions, please contact Matt Kingston, Associate Director for Housing Operations, at mkingston@barnard.edu.