Housing Selection

2020-2021 Housing Selection Process Overview

Welcome to the housing selection process overview page!  We have a housing application process that allows you to find roommates and complete the housing selection process from the comfort of your own room.  Please review this page carefully so you are aware of how the housing selection process will work.

Residential Life is extending the housing application deadline and making adjustments to the housing selection timeline due to the campus-wide impact of Covid-19.  The new Returning Student Housing Application deadline is April 8th and the new housing selection dates are April 14-17.  The full adjusted timeline is available in the table below. Please continue to email reslife@owu.edu with any questions regarding your application. 

To sign up for a meeting with your Residential Life Coordinator, click the link for your hall to open appointment slots and sign up in google calendar.

Application

The 2020-2021 housing application is now open!  All students will access the housing application in the Res Life Portal, which can be found at the top, right of this page and on the Residential Life website.    

Our application allows for matching of roommates based on the answers to the questions in the housing application.  Please answer each question honestly.

To get started, please complete the following in the Res Life Portal:

1.  Complete the ‘Returning & Transfer Student Application’ or the 'First Year Student Application'.

2.  Complete the information requested in ‘My Info’

3.  Find and match yourself with your roommates.  Only students who have completed a housing application will be able to search/be found in the roommate matching process. Each student in your group will need to match themselves with all the others in your group.

4.  Select a ‘Dining Plan’.

Priority Numbers

For returning students, priority numbers will be used to determine when you will select your housing.  The highest priority numbers will be given to those students with the highest number of earned credit.  Credits in progress will not be considered when determining priority numbers.  The highest priority is '1'.

When choosing a roommate group, keep in mind that the priority numbers of all roommates will be averaged to determine when you will select your housing.  

Roommate Matching

Roommate matching can occur in one of three ways:

1.  You can search for and select specific people you know and would like to live with during the application process.  All roommates will need to add each other as roommates in the roommate finder, which is part of the housing portal.

2.  You can use the search function in the roommate finder in the housing portal to find students who answered application questions similarly to you.  You have full control to focus your search on specific questions or all questions.

3.  You can let us use the new roommate matching software to find you the best match based on your application questions.  For returning students, this process will occur after the housing selection nights.   

Help Guide for Selecting a Roommate

Housing Selection Details

Because we are entering a phase of residence hall renewal, there will be a fewer number of single rooms available in 2020-2021.

When you go through the housing selection process on your selection night, students must fill a complete room.  Stuyvesant Hall will allow for students to sign up for one half of a suite (2 students), and Hayes requires students to fill an entire suite (4 students).  

Groups who do not have a full roommate group capable of filling a suite (group of 2 in Stuy, group of 4 in Hayes) will not be able to select housing on their housing selection night.  Students in this situation will be assigned a room on April 27, and any vacant spots within a roommate group will be filled with another student using the Roommate Finder system.

The new Apartment Village construction will begin very soon!  The completion date of the apartments is still unknown.  Once this information is finalized, housing selection information will be updated to reflect the completion date.

First Year Housing Options

All First Year students live together because we understand first year students are going through similar issues as they relate to their transition away from home.  In their first year, OWU students will live in Smith, Welch, and Thomson.  For more information on our housing options, please our Housing Options web page.

Early Housing Placement Process

The following houses and circumstances will go through the early housing placement process, which takes place before other returning students go through the housing selection process.  Early placement applications will be available November 25, 2019 and are due on January 10, 2020.  Full timeline details is available under the "Returning Student Housing Selection Timeline" below.  Students not selected for an early housing placement will be asked to complete the Returning & Transfer Student Housing Application.

Bigelow Reed House This house is reserved for students majoring in Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, and International Business.  Students and roommate groups comprised of students all studying in these majors will be given priority assignments in Bigelow Reed House over others.  
House of Black Culture Students who have lived in the house in the past will be given priority.  All other placements are decided based on application question responses.
Panhel House This house is reserved for women in a sorority.  Each sorority is allowed 5-6 spots in the house, though spots unfilled by one sorority can be filled with members of another sorority.  For those interested in living in the house, selection will be based on credit hour and involvement in sorority or Panhel leadership positions.
Honors House Only students in the Honors Program may live in the Honors House.  For those who express interest in living in the house, selection in to the house is decided in consultation with the Honors Program.
SLUs SLUs recruit and select their own members.  SLU Moderators will communicate rosters and room assignments to Residential Life.
Fraternity Houses Fraternities recruit and select their own members.  Fraternity RAs will communicate rosters and room assignments to Residential Life.
Housing Accommodations For those with official housing accommodations through Student Disability Services.
Special Interest Floors Any other special interest floors that require early placement
Resident Advisors/Moderators Those hired for a Res Life staff role will be placed in their housing assignment

Returning Student Housing Timeline

November 25, 2019 Early housing process applications available
January 10, 2020 Early housing process applications due
January 31, 2020 Early housing assignments out to students
February 3, 2020 Returning student housing application available
February 3 - April 8, 2020 Roommate matching is open
April 8, 2020 Returning student application closed for housing selection
April 9, 2020 Housing priority numbers sent to each returning student
April 14, 2020 Housing selection night 1, 6pm-9pm
April 15, 2020 Housing selection night 2, 6pm-9pm
April 16, 2020 Housing selection night 3, 6pm-9pm
April 17, 2020 Housing selection night 4, 6pm-9pm
April 18, 2020 Returning student housing application reopens for late applications
April 27, 2020 Students who didn't go through housing selection assigned to residential spaces
April 28-August 1, 2020 Late applications processed and placements made on rolling basis

First Year & Transfer Student Selection Timeline

February 3, 2020 First year and Transfer student housing applications open
February 3 - July 3, 2020 Roommate matching is open
July 3, 2020 Final deadline for first year and transfer student housing applications
July 13, 2020 Housing placements shared with first year and transfer students

 

Small Living Unit Application & Renewal

The application for new and renewing Small Living Units (SLU) will be available on November 15, 2019.  Please review the application for a full timeline and overview of the application and renewal process.  If you have questions, please direct them to reslife@owu.edu.

New & Renewing SLU Application

The new & renewing SLU application will be available on November 15, 2019.  If you need a SLU application, please request one via email at reslife@owu.edu. 

2020-2021 SLU Selection Important Dates

October 21, 2019 Moderator application available
November 15, 2019 SLU application available, shared with SLUs, RAs, and OWU Daily
December 13, 2019 SLU applications due
January 10, 2020 Moderator application due, SLUs must each have two moderator candidates.
January 16-17, 2020 SLU Presentations
January 24, 2020 SLUs notified of application status and house assignment
February 3-7, 2020 SLUSH
February 9, 2020 SLUs provide Res Life with list of new member candidates
February 10-14, 2020 SLU interviews of potential members
February 15-16, 2020 SLU membership decisions
February 17, 2020 SLUs notify new members and those not selected
February 19, 2020 New member acceptance deadline
February 21, 2020 SLU rosters and placements due to Res Life