Housing Renewal Process

Housing Renewal Process for Living on Campus in Fall 2013-Spring 2014

For all current residents who would like to return to on-campus housing in the 2013-2014 academic year, here are the steps in the housing renewal process:

• You must log on to: https://housing.webster.edu/PatronWeb and complete the Housing Application Academic Year 13/14 SO JR SR GR.
• You must complete the Housing Renewal Form for 2013-2014.
• The Housing Renewal Form for 2013-2014 is due to the Office of Housing and Residential Life in West Hall no later than 5:00PM on TUESDAY, JANUARY 29.  The online application through the patronweb should also be completed by this date and time.
• If you are a current freshman or sophomore (as designated by credit hours earned by the end of Fall 2012), you must participate in the Room Sign-Up Process (described below).
• If you are a current junior, senior, or graduate student (as designated by credit hours earned by the end of Fall 2012), you are eligible to participate in the Homesteading Process (described below) if you choose.  If you do NOT want to use the Homesteading Process, then complete the Room Sign-Up Process section on the Housing Renewal Form instead.

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Room Sign-Up Process

• You will mark on the Housing Renewal Form for 2013-2014 that you want to go through the Room Sign-Up Process.
• You will be sorted into a category based on your year in school (freshmen, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate). This year in school is determined by credit hours earned post-graduation from high school.
• Within these year-in-school categories, Room Sign-Up appointment times will be assigned using a lottery system.
• If you want to sign up with a group, your credit hours will be averaged to determine which category you will be placed in for the lottery.
• If a member of your group has never lived on campus, you will list his/her name as a member of your group, but he/she does not fill out a Housing Renewal Form. He/she should instead just complete the Housing Application, available on this web site: https://housing.webster.edu/PatronWeb. On the Application, he/she should list your name(s) as a roommate preference.
• Room Sign-Up will take place Wednesday, February 20, 2013, and Thursday, February 21, 2013, from 12-6pm each day.
• You will receive an email by Thursday, February 14, notifying you of your Room Sign-Up appointment time.
• Show up at your appointed time to select your space in housing for 2013-2014.
• If you cannot make your assigned time, you must complete a Proxy Form in order to get a space in housing.  All students signing up in a group MUST be present at the same time or have a Proxy Form signed by any missing student(s).
• The online Housing Application Academic Year 13/14 SO JR SR GR is your housing contract.
• Please be aware that if you wish to cancel that contract after you have signed it, cancellation charges may apply.

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Homesteading Process

• You will mark on the Housing Renewal Form for 2013-2014 that you want to homestead in your current area and room type.
• To be eligible for the Homesteading Process, you must:
  
  
  • Be currently a junior, senior, or graduate student (as designated by credit hours earned by the end of Fall 2012)
  • Be currently registered at the home campus in Webster Groves, MO, for the Spring 2013 semester
  • Be currently living on campus during the Spring 2013 semester
  • Have no judicial or other account holds on your record
• Eligible students will be permitted to homestead in their current area and room type. For example: If you currently reside in East 206D, which is an East Single, you will be requesting to remain in an East Single, not necessarily the specific room number of East 206D.
• WVA Efficiencies are designated only as shared spaces starting, so if anyone wishes to homestead in a WVA Efficiency, he/she must accept a roommate. There will be a limited number of available spaces for homesteading in Maria Hall, due to freshmen-designated floors. Homesteading is NOT ALLOWED in West Hall.
• Homesteaders can pull in roommate(s) if their requested roommate(s) are also eligible for the Homesteading Process.
• Homesteaders can request roommate(s) that are not eligible for the homesteading process, but there is no guarantee these requests will be granted.  In this situation, the homesteader’s preferred roommate(s) will go through the Room Sign-Up Process.  If the space is still available when the preferred roommate arrives for their appointment time, the homesteader and the preferred roommate can be assigned to live together.
• If you have a requested roommate that has never lived on campus, you will list his/her name as a requested roommate, but he/she does not fill out a Housing Renewal Form. He/she should instead just complete the Housing Application, available on this web site: https://housing.webster.edu/PatronWeb. On the Application, he/she should list your name(s) as a roommate preference.
• If we are able to grant a roommate request, please note that roommate preferences must match on the Housing Renewal Forms/Online Applications. For example, if Kelly Smith requests Jane Smith on her form, but Jane Smith does not request Kelly Smith, we will not place them as roommates.
• Approved Homesteading Process applicants will not be eligible to select a space during the Room Sign-Up Process.
• Not all Homesteading Process Applications will be granted. We will assess whether or not you are eligible to participate in the process.
• The online Housing Application Academic Year 13/14 SO JR SR GR is your housing contract.
• Please be aware that if you wish to cancel that contract after you have signed it, cancellation charges may apply.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does University Housing calculate the date and time for me to show up for my Room Sign-Up appointment?
Students will be sorted into the following categories:

• Graduate 
• Senior (90 or more credit hours completed at end of Fall 2012) 
• Junior (60-90 credit hours completed at end of Fall 2012) 
• Sophomore (30-60 credit hours completed at end of Fall 2012) 
• Freshmen Outside 35 Miles (less than 30 credit hours completed at end of Fall 2012) 
• Freshmen Inside 35 Miles (less than 30 credit hours completed at end of Fall 2012)

All credit hours will be based on credit earned post-graduation from high school. Transfer students will be able to count credit earned at a college institution, whether 2-year or 4-year. Once sorted into these categories, Room Sign-Up appointment times will be assigned using a lottery system.

How will I know when to arrive for Room Sign-Up to select my space?

• You will receive an email to your Webster email address by Thursday, February 14, 2013, notifying you of your Room Sign-Up appointment time.

How do I apply for housing for Summer 2013?

• If you are interested in applying for Summer 2013 housing, there will be summer housing contracts available starting on February 20, 2013, from the Housing Office in West Hall. The summer housing application deadline is April 5, 2013.

What housing is available in the summer?

• The only housing option for summer housing are spaces in the Webster Village Apartments.

What are the summer housing rates?

• Rates can be viewed here.

What options are there for co-ed or gender neutral housing?

• We refer to co-ed/gender neutral housing as open housing, wherein rooms can be mixed-gendered.  Should you wish to have a mixed-gendered room, all residents in your space will need to sign the Open Housing Agreement, which will be available at your Room Sign-Up appointment. Open Housing is available in the WVA, East Hall, and Maria Hall. All returner spaces can be eligible to Open Housing based on availability and interest. If you go through the Homesteading Process and wish to have a mixed-gendered room, you will need to come into the Housing Office to sign the Open Housing Agreement.

What happens if my roommates and I cannot get a space together during the Housing Renewal Process?

• Don’t panic. We advise you to select any available space even if you have to split up. Then you can sign up on the Wait List to request your preferred space and roommates.  We often have some transition over the course of the spring and summer that allows us to work our way through the Wait List to grant such requests.

What happens if the space I want is not available during Room Sign-Up?

• Don’t panic. We advise you to select any available space. Then you can sign up on the Wait List with your preferred space request.  We often have some transition over the course of the spring and summer that allows us to work our way through the Wait List to grant such requests.

What if I need to make a change to my Housing Renewal Form or my Online Application?

• Go to the Housing Office in West Hall during normal office hours (between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday). We will be happy to assist you. You can also email housing@webster.edu or call 314-246-4663.

How do I cancel my housing contract?

• You must cancel in writing. Please note that when you submit the online Application, you are submitting a legally binding housing contract. If you don't show up for your Room Sign-Up appointment, a space will still be selected for you based on your online Application. If you wish to cancel this contract, there is no penalty if you cancel in writing on or before May 1, 2013. After this date, there are fees for cancellation, which you can view here.

Can a new University Housing resident be one of my roommates?

• If a member of your group or a requested roommate has never lived on campus, you will list his/her name on your Housing Renewal Form, but he/she does not fill out a Housing Renewal Form. He/she should instead just complete the Housing Application, available on this website: https://housing.webster.edu/PatronWeb. On the Application, he/she should list your name(s) as a roommate preference.  This application needs to be submitted by January 29, 2013. We will try to place this new resident in a space with you if options are still available. You can only request such roommates if they will be non-first-year freshmen students in Fall 2013.

What can I do if I miss the deadlines for participating in the Housing Renewal Process?

• If you do not complete Housing Renewal Form, you may still have the opportunity to request space in University Housing next year.  If you are required to live on campus, we will assign a space to you, and you will need to complete the online Application. If you are not required to live on campus, you can stop by the Housing Office in West Hall to request a specific type of space, but there are no guarantees. You will be placed according to available space.

Can you explain "homesteading"?

• It is the opportunity for eligible students to homestead in their current area and room type. To be eligible for the Homesteading Process, you must:
  
  
  • Be currently a junior, senior, or graduate student (as designated by credit hours earned by the end of Fall 2012)
  • Be currently registered at the home campus in Webster Groves, MO, for the Spring 2013 semester
  • Be currently living on campus during the Spring 2013 semester
  • Have no judicial or other account holds on your record

Eligible students will be permitted to homestead in their current area and room type. For example: If you currently reside in East 206D, which is an East Single, you will be requesting to remain in an East Single, not necessarily the specific room number of East 206D.

I am eligible for homesteading. Can I homestead and bring in a specific person as my roommate?

• Homesteaders can pull in roommate(s) if their requested roommate(s) are also eligible for the Homesteading Process.

Homesteaders can request roommate(s) that are not eligible for the homesteading process, but there is no guarantee these requests will be granted.  In this situation, the homesteader’s preferred roommate(s) will go through the Room Sign-Up Process. If the space is still available when the preferred roommate arrives for their appointment time, the homesteader and the preferred roommate can be assigned to live together.

If we are able to grant a roommate request, please note that roommate preferences must match on the Housing Renewal Forms. For example, if Kelly Smith requests Jane Smith on her form, but Jane Smith does not request Kelly Smith, we will not place them as roommates.

What do I do if I will be studying abroad at the start of the Fall 2013 semester but want to live on campus when I return?

• You will need to complete the online Application (log on to: https://housing.webster.edu/PatronWeb and complete the Housing Application Academic Year 13/14 SO JR SR GR). You will not complete the Housing Renewal Form. You are not eligible for the Homesteading Process.  You will not attend a Room Sign-Up appointment.  Kelly Malone, the Housing Coordinator, will contact you in the fall semester to determine your placement for when you return to campus housing after your study abroad experience. You can contact housing@webster.edu with roommate and area requests, but placement will be based on available space.

What do I do if I am studying abroad in the Spring 2013 semester but want to live on campus in Fall 2013?

• You will complete the online Application (log on to https://housing.webster.edu/PatronWeb and complete the Housing Application Academic Year 13/14 SO JR SR GR); the Housing Renewal Form, filling out the Room Sign-Up section; and a Proxy Form so that a space can be selected for you. You are not eligible for the Homesteading Process.