As a residential college, Gustavus is known for the community it encourages with such a large percentage of students living on campus. In 2015, 85% of students studying on campus were living in College housing. As a four-year residential college, students are expected to live on campus for four years, unless specific permission is granted.

“Res Life at a residential institution means that we have students from start to finish, and it’s cool to be able to build relationships that last throughout a student’s time here,” said Director of Residential Life Charlie Potts.

This makes the job of the Office of Residential Life incredibly crucial to ensure a safe and supportive living environment for all students.

Residential Life holds many responsibilities including the Collegiate Fellow program, Hall Councils, roommate mediations, Physical Plant repair coordination, and student conduct system for policy violations in halls.

At this time of year, Residential Life is best known for its coordination of Room Draw. The current Room Draw process includes participation in an in-person draw session. Students receive a Room Draw slip in their P.O. Box with a randomly assigned number that indicates placement in the draw order. After finding roommates, students show up to the draw session in Alumni Hall to choose their preferred housing for the following year.

In the future, students can expect to see a shift to an online Room Draw process similar to course registration.

Unfortunately, due to  next year’s enrollment numbers, fewer seniors are expected to be granted off campus living permission. This, in turn, affects the housing options for all other classes and can cause some stress among students and animosity towards Residential Life.

“Whether people want to believe it or not, I really do want you to live where you want to live. There is no benefit to our office or to the stress levels in my life if students don’t get what they want for housing, either during Room Draw or off of wait lists,” said Potts.

Room Draw processes begin in April and will continue through April 17. Although everyone may not receive their first choice, students are encouraged to proceed with patience.

“My best advice is to take a deep breath, select a space during Room Draw, and utilize our wait lists,” said Potts.