For juniors returning from studying abroad in the Fall, housing worries have finally been eased.
After a prolonged process, Housing, Dining and Residence Life successfully placed the 59 juniors returning from study abroad programs who had yet to receive on-campus housing as of Nov. 29. Contrary to student sentiment, the delay in housing assignments was not the result of a housing shortage.
“Supply of on-campus housing is dynamic, so [in November] when we had to communicate assignments, it may have appeared that there was a housing shortage,” said Linda Moiseenko, manager of Duke Community Housing. “However, vacancies continued to become available, and we were able to house our returning students.”
Brandon Locke, a junior who did not initially receive his desired housing assignment for the Spring, said he was able to relocate from a double in Edens Quadrangle 2A to one in Crowell Quandrangle after communicating with HDRL.
“I called [HDRL], and I basically said I can’t live in Edens—I’m overloading, and I have a job, and this isn’t going to work,” Locke said. “[HDRL] was really nice about it…. Now I’m living in a much better location.”
Junior Andrei Santalo, who returned from studying abroad in Barcelona last semester, had difficulty applying for the gender-neutral housing option, as there was no option on the housing contract to indicate a gender-neutral preference. Communication with HDRL also proved to be difficult, Santalo added.
“[HDRL] responded to emails every three weekends,” Santalo said. “They said they would update us on our situation and try to get us our preference, and they didn’t respond to email.”
HDRL ultimately placed Santalo in gender-neutral housing on Central Campus with one out of his three preferred roommates. HDRL placed the other two students in gender-neutral housing in a nearby apartment on Oregon Street on Central.
Moiseenko said the housing process may improve in the future, though such changes cannot be considered until the new house model is implemented.
Junior Theo Larose, who studied in Scotland in the Fall, said he encountered no difficulties in the housing process and is now living in the newly opened Keohane 4E Quandrangle.
“They made a lot of interesting decisions about the architecture,” Larose said. “[Keohane 4E] is not too far away from campus…. I like the communal living spaces and how the common rooms are pretty much open to all.”
Many juniors were ultimately satisfied with their placements. Senior Fola Omofoye, a resident assistant in Keohane 4E, said his residents seem to be pleased with their housing assignments.
“[Keohane] 4E brings a newness and freshness to the semester that hasn’t been seen in a while, and it has people excited,” Omofoye said. “I’ve had a lot of friends and seen a lot of residents’ friends come just to see what it looks like…. It certainly kicks off the semester with a bang.”
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