As students begin picking out roommates and living arrangements for the fall, the Student Government Association [SGA] is raising questions about an electronic housing lottery proposal for next year.

SGA academic affairs chair Emily Ianno brought the idea to the SGA’s attention after she attended a meeting with Ann Bersani, associate director of Campus Life and Leadership. Bersani has been working with students to put together a housing committee in order to discuss revamping the housing selection process at Le Moyne.

Bersani stated that before any changes took place, the committee would like to consider students’ opinions and ideas regarding the housing process.

“The committee recently came up with a survey that I will be helping them send out to students to get a better feeling for how students think housing selection should work,” Bersani explained. “The survey should be going out shortly, which will give us some direction about what changes students want to see with Housing Selection.”

SGA members began voicing their opinions at their meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Ianno described the proposed system to the group, outlining how the electronic system would work, what factors could influence a student’s lottery number and what problems could arise with the new selection process.

“It would work like WebAdvisor for class registration,” said Ianno. “You enter in your top choices for dorm buildings, and if your first choice is available, it would automatically put you in that building. If not, it would put you in your second choice, and so on and so forth.”

Ianno also explained that the committee had discussed including other factors into how lottery numbers are distributed, such as grade point average, number of credits completed and whether or not the student is in good behavioral standing. Currently, the only factor is a student’s anticipated graduation date.

Members debated about whether some of these factors were fair or necessary.

SGA member Jules Shelton said that a student’s grade point average should be a factor in the housing selection process.

“If I work my butt off all semester and get a 4.0, I deserve a better lottery number than someone who just barely gets by,” Shelton said.

SGA president Dennis Carringi disagreed, saying, “Some majors are harder than others. Getting a B in Biochemistry is a lot harder than getting an A in Pilates.”

SGA members Krystal Ashey and Shaneeke Bascoe also argued that considering whether a student has been written up is unfair.

“I was written up earlier this year because of my roommate,” Ashey explained. “It’s not fair that I would have to pay for something that didn’t even involve me.”

Bascoe agreed, saying that it would be unreasonable to discipline students again for a crime that they had already been punished for.

SGA secretary Erica White disagreed, explaining that many students are written up for vandalizing dorm rooms.

“If a student trashes a room in Harrison, they shouldn’t be allowed to live in the much more expensive and nicer townhouses and apartments,” she said.

White also pointed out that with an electric housing lottery, students who still need a roommate will not have the opportunity to wait outside registration to meet other students in need of a roommate.

Ianno stated that these were all points students should mention in the survey the committee plans to send out. However, some students were still skeptical about the new system.

“The campus Internet is too slow,” Shelton added. “I can just imagine the entire system crashing or students complaining that their Internet was not working at their registration time.”

Over the next few weeks, students should look for an email with a survey regarding the housing selection process. In this survey, students will have the opportunity to express their own opinions and suggest ideas to the committee.

For additional information or questions about the housing selection, students can contact Ann Bersani at [email protected]. Students can also attend weekly Student Government meetings at 408 Grewen Hall at 9 p.m. Wednesdays to voice their opinions ask questions, and get the latest updates on changes around campus.