Students face uncertainty after off-campus housing approvals denied

Some third years are now facing uncertainty about living off campus next year after failing to receive off-campus residence approval. Dennis Perkins, assistant dean of residence life (ResLife) and student conduct, said that the College’s strategic plan is to have all students live on campus in the future.

The new lottery system divided groups of students who planned to live together, with those rejected hoping to get off the waitlist and those approved figuring out roommate and lease situations.

Students Neva Zamil `27 and Owen Hope `27 both expected to get approved based on past-year trends, only to find themselves with a house lease agreement but no permission from the College to live off-campus.

Hope was planning to live in a house with six other students, while Zamil was hoping to rent an apartment with three of her friends. Despite being aware of ResLife’s policy that requires students to apply to the lottery without a lease, they both signed the document as early as July, due to off-campus residences filling up quickly and because historically, the time of approval for off-campus housing has taken place as far as April, when spots would be scarce.

“We signed in July at the advice of seniors because places kept getting taken by other students, which put a lot of pressure on us to sign,” said Zamil in an interview with The S&B, adding that she knew very little about the upcoming policy changes at the time.

Arsal Khalique `27, who was approved along with five of his friends for a house off campus, said that ResLife was slow in communicating the changes. “They told us about the lottery system after the semester has started, which I think is very late,” Khalique said.

However, neither the new lottery system, nor ResLife’s policy to wait for approval before signing leases, disincentivized Zamil and Hope from applying, as both expected that the number of available places would not change from last year.

“The understanding was that the same number of seniors would still be allowed to live off campus, which in past years has been almost everybody.” said Zamil. On the other hand, Hope said, “I think they communicated the lottery system, and they communicated not getting the lease before you were accepted, but they did not communicate the change in number.”

In an interview with The S&B, Perkins said that off-campus residence approvals were expected to decrease, since the completion of the refurbished Loose Hall and the opening of Renfrow Hall last semester has increased the capacity of the campus.

“We had lowered the number because we got Renfrow online and Loose … we anticipated Loose coming on, so we got 85 spaces,” said Perkins. “That’s 85 we don’t need to go off campus, so that number decreased.” He furthermore clarified that Grinnell has been historically a four-years-on-campus college, which was challenged by increases in student capacity and the renovation of older residence halls.

“The reason we were letting off so many wasn’t because we want seniors to be off campus, it’s because we cannot house them,” Perkins said. “Now we have more places, more space to be able to house them, therefore we won’t have as many going off campus.”

The introduction of the lottery system, Perkins explained, was in response to last year’s off-campus residence approval cycle, which left an unusually large number of applicants rejected, as the reduction in available spots began after the opening of Renfrow. “That was the first sign that everybody didn’t get off campus who wanted off campus, and they were upset about it,” said Perkins.

Contrary to the reduction in available off-campus approvals for the 2025-26 as a result of Renfrow’s completion, during her sophomore year, Zamil thought that the places would stay the same after the College announced juniors were no longer eligible for off-campus residence. “The understanding was, if juniors can’t live off campus, that will supplement the additional housing that was created with Renfrow,” said Zamil.

Associate Director of Housing Operations Paul Frost-Lau said the lottery was intended “to make sure we had as equitable a process as possible” and further streamline the process for a narrower time frame. All applicants entered the lottery at the same time. The unapproved applicants were ordered in a waitlist based on the lottery’s outcome to replace students that decide to withdraw.

“There’s not an appeal process,” said Frost-Lau. “The option is, if you have a documented situation where accommodations could be provided, then you can go through that process with the Disability Resources Office.”

The lottery system resulted in significant discontent among students, as large groups who intended to live together were forced to split up. In Hope’s case, only four out of his group of seven were approved, and for Zamil, two out of four.

Both Frost-Lau and Perkins pointed out that project houses and Renfrow Hall are opportunities towards which the department guides students who wish to be together in larger groups. While ResLife does not intend to change the lottery system for next year’s off-campus residence approval process, they are considering switching it to a group basis. “We would let them apply as groups – that’s what we would tweak if we did anything,” said Perkins.