Several changes were implemented for this year’s housing selection in response to differing needs of students due to class standing and GW’s goals to house all sophomores on campus by 2003 and 70 percent of all students on campus by 2005, housing services officials said.

Rising sophomores will choose residence hall rooms March 11. Rising juniors and seniors, who traditionally chose housing first at GW, will pick March 31.

“(Previously) sophomores had just a smattering of buildings, most of them were the less desirable halls,” said Andrew Sonn, director of Housing Services.

Sonn said because sophomores make up the largest percentage of the on-campus student population, it is logical for them to choose housing first. He also said sophomores benefit more from on-campus housing programs and need the most guidance from community facilitators.

“(Under the old system) you’re having the students with the least amount of friends off campus and developmentally compared to a senior less able to find an apartment searching for housing off campus,” Sonn said. “Typically the average junior or senior is not interested in as much programming or don’t rely on CFs as much.”

Freshman Steve Sobel, a HOVA RHA representative who co-authored the housing selection proposal, said changes to this year’s process were also in response to the University goals related to the 2001-2009 campus plan, which was drafted last spring.

The campus plan, a statement of GW’s property and land use for the next eight years, has faced opposition from some Foggy Bottom residents for not supplying enough on-campus housing.

GW responded to resident concerns by promising to house all freshmen and sophomores on campus and to work toward providing residence hall space for 70 percent of the full-time undergraduate student population.

“(The housing selection proposal) was basically done as a stepping stone to the campus plan and housing all freshmen and sophomores on campus,” Sobel said. “It was done to give more emphasis on giving sophomores priority.”

He said the new housing selection is a step toward housing all freshmen and sophomores on campus, which will make up a large portion of the 70 percent target.

“I think it works well for everyone,” Sobel said. “Sophomores get priority in choosing, but some of the more sought after residence halls are now reserved for juniors and seniors.”

This year’s housing selection reserves spaces in Riverside Towers, The Schenley, Aston, Dakota, Madison, Munson, Fulbright and Strong Halls for sophomores. Rooms in New Hall, JBKO, Guthridge, The West End, Strong Hall and 2109 F St. are designated for juniors and seniors.

Sonn said the new system also amends some of the problems of past housing selections, such as juniors and seniors pulling in underclassmen and then dropping out of the housing selection and students using on-campus housing as a “safety net” until they find off-campus housing.

“Fifty percent of New Hall is now sophomores,” Sobel said. “If you’re a senior or junior living in Fulbright that’s really unfair.”

This year, students will be required to sign license agreements at the time they select their room, and a sophomore who chooses to use a junior or senior number will only be able to be on the non-guaranteed waiting list for campus housing.

Sonn said CLLC’s goals for this year’s housing selection are to make the process less stressful and a little more fun for those involved.

“Our intent is for it not to be a pressure cooker for anybody or a marathon either,” he said.

Sonn said Housing Services has also referred to this year’s system as housing selection rather than housing lottery, as in past years.

“(Lottery) denotes that there’s very few winners and a lot of losers,” he said.