Bates College Housing A Guide to the Room Selection Process Housing & Residence Life Office Lane Hall Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 p.m. Phone Fax
Did You Know? All floor plans are available online at You will need to enter your user name and password to access the plans. You will be able to view each room’s square footage and number of windows, as well as proximity to stairways, bathrooms, etc. Please take advantage of viewing these plans before showing up for room selection so that you are fully informed of your individual room options. Floor plans will also be posted in Chase Gallery (outside of the Student Activities Office and Chase Hall Lounge) the week before room selection. Individual room occupancy is most accurately reflected on the floor plans posted in the Gallery, not in the online version. Each year during Winter Semester, the Housing & Residence Life Office administers a variety of processes through which students may select housing for the following year. These include an off-campus housing lottery; a theme house proposal process; a suite lottery; and a general housing lottery. This publication is designed to give you basic information on the suite lottery and the general housing lottery, and to answer some of the questions you may have about selecting housing for next fall. All of this information is also online at Housing Lottery and Room Selection Any student who plans to be at Bates in the fall is eligible for the housing lottery, except: students who have received approval from the Dean of Students Office to live off-campus for the upcoming academic year and have submitted their signed contracts students who have made arrangements to reside in an approved theme house for the fall of the upcoming academic year students who have been hired as Junior Advisors or Residence Coordinators for the upcoming academic year or will be living with students in those positions Your class year will be posted on the Garnet Gateway on Monday, February 23th. Please check the Garnet Gateway by clicking the Housing Menu link to be sure that your name and class year are correct. If you are serving as a proxy for another student, please come to the Housing & Residence Life Office to check their class year. Any discrepancies should be reported to the Housing & Residence Life Office before Wednesday, February 25 th at 4pm. Final lottery numbers will be posted on Wednesday, March 4 th outside the Housing & Residence Life Office and on the Garnet Gateway.
Groups of three, four, five, or six students may enter the suite lottery for three-, four-, five-and six-person suites in the Village, John Bertram Hall, Turner House, and 10 Frye Street. A group’s pick number will be based on the average of the lottery numbers of the students in those groups, with the lowest individual number being dropped. In the case of three-person suite applicant groups, no number will be dropped. A student may be a part of only one group for each size suite, but may apply for suites of different sizes with different groups. Applications for the suite lottery will be available online on Wednesday, March 4 th on the Garnet Gateway. One member of the suite can log in and fill out an application for the group. A confirmation will then be sent to all members of the suite. If any changes are made to the application, an will be sent to all members of that group. If you are placed in a suite you do not want to be in, you have the ability to log in and drop yourself from the application. More information on the online process is available on the Garnet Gateway and the Housing website. Online applications close promptly at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11th. Changes may not be made after that time, and no late applications will be accepted. Suite lottery numbers for all groups entered in the suite lottery will be posted outside the Housing & Residence Life Office and on Garnet Gateway on Thursday, March 12th at Noon. At lottery selection, suites will be called in suite lottery number order. In certain situations, preference will be given to members of the senior class. Suite Lottery 1 triple 1 double/ 1 single 2 doubles 2 singles/ 1 double 4 singles 2 singles/ 2 doubles 1 single/ 2 doubles John Bertram Hall Moody House Rzasa House Hopkins House Turner House Frye Street The table above identifies what suite compositions are located in each building to help inform you for the suite selection process.
General Housing Lotteries Class of Rising Seniors Room selection for rising seniors will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 th in Chase Hall. The rising senior lottery will begin with #1 and continue through the end of the class. A member of the rising senior class may choose any room available on campus. To pick a double, triple, a group must have the correct number of students to fill that room in order to make the selection. The student with the best lottery number will pick the room on behalf of the group and only their lottery number will be considered; additional residents for that room may be from any class. Class of Rising Juniors Room selection for rising juniors will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 16 th in Chase Hall. Lottery numbers for the rising junior class will begin with #2001. We will call # to select their rooms starting at 7:00 p.m.; #2101-the end of the class will be called beginning around 7:30. If you are planning to have a roommate, please be sure that they attend the lottery with you. Only the lottery number of the person making the pick will be considered. If you are going abroad for the fall semester, you should not choose a room and you cannot allow your lottery number to be used to choose a room. Class of Rising Sophomores Room selection for rising sophomores will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18 th in Chase Hall. Lottery numbers for the rising sophomore class will begin with #4001. We will call # to select their rooms starting at 7:00 p.m.; #4101-the end of the class will be called at approximately 7:30. Students will be able to select from the rooms that remain until rooms are no longer available. If you have an intended roommate or roommates, please bring them in with you at the time of your selection. Only the lottery number of the person making the selection will be considered. Since the rising sophomore class is the last class to choose rooms and we must hold a number of rooms for the incoming first-year class, there is a possibility that we will not have rooms available for every rising sophomore to select on this night. If you are unable to select a room during room draw, you must fill out a Summer Placement form on the Garnet Gateway. Please see the FAQs section of this publication for more information on this issue.
* Some rooms in these buildings have been reserved for members of the incoming first-year class Upper-Class Housing Options SinglesDoublesTriples 280 College Street*4852- Chase House (Eco-Justice House) 651 Cheney House (quiet) 1272 Davis House54- Frye House (Health & Fitness House) 212- Frye Street Union231 Hacker House110- Hayes House47- Herrick House (all male) 82- Holmes House43- Howard House (Chem-Free House) 63- John Bertram Hall52- Leadbetter House5-- Mitchell House76- Moulton House282 Nash House (Umami House) 531 Page Hall* Parker Hall*40502 Parsons House (Bridging Communities: Civic Engagement House) 1081 Pierce House (Arts House) 68- Rand Hall*19432 Small House283 Stillman House (all female) 23- Webb House (Experiencing Culture Through Music House) 77- Wentworth Adams Hall (quiet) Whittier House (quiet) 16-- Wilson House710- Wood Street House (Healthy Living) 52-
What do I need to bring with me to room selection? You must bring your Bates ID card to select a room. Please come prepared with patience and a sense of humor – we recognize that the lottery process is stressful, but we guarantee you will have a housing assignment come Fall! Also, please come knowing your lottery number. What if I want to live with a roommate(s)? If you wish to live with a roommate(s), the student with the best lottery number uses their number to choose the room. What if I want to live with a student from a different class year? In the suite lottery, the lowest individual number among the members of each group will be dropped before the group’s pick number is averaged. Therefore, your group would not be penalized if it includes a member of a lower class. You may select a double, triple, or quad room with a student of a different class year if you wish to do so; in that case, only the lottery number of the person who chooses the room will be considered. You should accompany your roommate to their class’s lottery selection. What is the “Healthy Living” house? The “Healthy Living” designation means that residents will at no time possess or use alcohol or other drugs within or outside of the residence. What is Open Gender Housing and how will it affect lottery? Open Gender Housing is a policy which allows upperclass students to pick a roommate(s) based upon compatibility, without the constraints of biological sex or gender identity. Stillman House will remain all-female and Herrick House will remain all-male. Open Gender housing options will be available in all other upperclass residences with a maximum of 55% of any one gender in the houses and on each floor in the larger residence halls. What if I am studying abroad in the upcoming fall? Students studying abroad in the fall will not be eligible to participate in room draw. If you will be returning to campus for the winter semester, you will receive more information about the winter lottery process from the Housing & Residence Life Office in the fall. You may not have a friend keep an open space in a double room for the first semester in anticipation of your return to campus for winter semester. How will the residence hall at 280 College Street be allocated for ? The residence has 152 beds in double and single rooms. We have reserved space in this building for 4 first-year centers, and have designated a set number of rooms for each class year. What about theme houses? Theme houses are not filled through housing lottery. The student-organized theme houses that were selected this year are housed through the theme house process prior to lottery numbers being distributed. Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t Forget! You must agree to the Residence Hall and Food Service Contract before you will be allowed to select a room on lottery night. The contract is available online at and you will need to indicate that you agree to abide by its provisions by signing your lottery card. What if I have applied to study abroad for the upcoming fall or upcoming academic year but have not yet been approved to do so? Students who plan to study abroad will not receive lottery numbers. If these plans change, you should come speak to us in the Housing & Residence Life Office. What if I am not on campus this semester or am not able to attend room draw? You must choose a student who will be on campus for room draw to serve as your proxy. You should discuss your housing preferences with your proxy so that he or she is able to make an informed decision on your behalf. The proxy’s decision will be binding. What if I am not able to choose a room at room selection? It is possible that not every member of the rising sophomore class will be able to choose a room at room selection. Please don’t worry if you are not able to pick a room that night. You may enter the Summer Placement process by filling out a form on the Garnet Gateway that shares your preferred room type and location. You will then be assigned a room via the Summer Placement lottery in August. What if I am not happy with my room? We understand that some students may be disappointed with the rooms they select through this process. Participation in the Summer Placement Lottery is limited to students who were not able to choose a room during the spring room selection process, or whose roommates have cancelled their housing assignment and vacated a space in their rooms. If you are not happy with the room you select in the spring, you will be able to add yourself to a waiting list for a room switch on the first day of fall semester classes. However, we encourage all students to give their housing assignment a fair chance – you may learn to love your new room! Frequently Asked Questions (continued)
Monday, February 23 rd Student class year lists posted outside the Housing & Residence Life Office and on the Garnet Gateway. Please check for any discrepancies in your grad year status. Wednesday, February 25 th 4PM Any discrepancies in your grad year status must be reported to the Housing & Residence Life Office by 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 4 th Noon Individual lottery numbers posted outside the Housing & Residence Life Office and on the Garnet Gateway Suite lottery applications available online on the Garnet Gateway Wednesday, March 11 th 4:30 PM Suite lottery online application deadline Thursday, March 12 th Noon Suite group lottery numbers posted outside the Housing & Residence Life Office and on the Garnet Gateway Sunday, March 15 th 1 PM 3 PM Suite Lottery – Old Commons Class of Rising Senior Room Selection Report to Chase Hall Gallery and follow signs to the Lottery waiting area. Monday, March 16 th 7 PM Class of Rising Junior Room Selection Report to Chase Hall Gallery and follow signs to the Lottery waiting area. Wednesday, March 18 th 7PMClass of 2018 – Rising Sophomore Room Selection Report to Chase Hall Gallery and follow signs to the Lottery waiting area. Dates You Should Know