Spring Housing for SLG Members

The majority of Duke students who participate in Study Away programs do so during the Fall semester. As a result, Spring housing tends to be very tight. RLHS is committed to providing housing for our returning students. As members elect to go abroad, it will be necessary for your group to do the following:

1. Fill vacancies with returning members.
2. When this is not possible, fill vacancies with friends of the house (FOH).
3. If neither 1 nor 2 is possible, consolidate members so that the vacancies remaining are those that will best meet the needs of unaffiliated students who are returning and need housing.

In the event that #3 is necessary, RLHS will provide guidelines for where the vacancies need to be placed. General guidelines are:

1. If one vacancy is occurring, a single room will be cleared. If no singles are located in an acceptable area (see #3), a space in an acceptable double room will be cleared.
2. If two vacancies are occurring, a double room will be cleared.
3. Any vacancy should be located as far from group commons areas as possible. Spaces should be adjacent to other unaffiliated students. If this is not possible, spaces should be adjacent to exits from the area.

RLHS will only place unaffiliated students in Selective Living Group spaces when it becomes necessary. We understand the group’s need for unity and desire to live together. We ask that Selective Living Groups be respectful of our unaffiliated students and their desire to live on-campus.

During the Fall, RLHS will collect information from students regarding Spring housing. This information includes:

• Requests for Housing from returning students
• Cancellations from current students who are leaving for Study Away, are taking a leave of absence, are graduating, are eligible to move off-campus, etc.
• Requests for Reassignment/Filling a Vacancy from current students who are seeking a preferred roommate or reassignment for the Spring
• Requests to enter the lottery to be released from the on-campus living requirement (the "off-campus lottery").

Please note, members of Selective Living Groups are responsible for submitting their own forms in a timely manner.  It is important that this information is submitted so that RLHS will have accurate numbers on which to base estimates. Once we collect forms, we will relay information regarding group members to the appropriate liaison. Liaisons will be responsible for discussing this information with members and reporting back possible scenarios to RLHS by a stated deadline. Please keep in mind that many of our students do not confirm their plans until after our deadlines, so it is often necessary to have contingency plans in place.

It is important that you provide your scenarios to RLHS by the stated deadline indicating any and all possibilities that you may anticipate. We would rather have information from you about how you want your living group to be organized than to have to make the decisions for you! Providing you the autonomy to make your own housing decisions is mutually beneficial. Failure to meet your obligation to provide the information impacts our ability to meet the needs of your members and other students. Hopefully, we'll all do our best and few problems will arise.

RLHS does not get involved in the process that SLGs use to determine the assignment of members. We strongly recommend that liaisons closely follow any previously developed processes that their living group has determined for the assignment of space for the spring semester. If the living group does not have any guidelines for this, it is recommended that the group discuss them soon and amend them to the living group constitution. The liaison job will be made significantly easier if the living group supports you and gives you guidelines for what you are doing.