Although we hope that all living situations are successful ones, we realize at times a change of rooms may be necessary. Please review the following topics that outline how our office assists in the room change process.

Change of Room During the Semester

In the event a student finds their roommate is incompatible, the first step should be to contact the Resident Assistant (RA) or Resident Director (RD). When meeting with the Residential Life staff, students will be offered advice on how to improve the living situation, including mediation between the roommates conducted by the RD. If the situation is still irresolvable, the student will be directed to the main office of Residential Life to search for a new accommodation. If vacancies are available, the Residential Life main office will work with the student to find a good match.

The student looking for a change will be given a list of vacancies with the instruction to meet and talk with the current residents of the room. The current residents of those rooms will be sent email communication that someone may be contacting them about their room. Once the student decides on a room they feel will be successful, the Office of Residential Life will process the room change. Additionally, the Office of Residential Life will notify the residents of the room with the arrival date of their new roommate (usually 24 to 48 hours after the email has been sent).

Room Changes During the Winter Break

During the winter break, the Office of Residential Life experiences a number of vacancies due to students who study abroad, graduate, or take a leave of absence. Additionally, we have students who are returning from leave of absences or from study abroad who will need to be assigned to these vacancies.

Sometimes Fall semester residents are aware there will be a vacancy in their room for the Spring and coordinate with a friend who is returning to campus. In situations like this, the Office of Residential Life makes every effort to honor these requests. Other times, residents may be unaware that a vacancy is created in their room during the break period. These vacancies may still be filled, but, unfortunately, due to the short break period, the Office of Residential Life cannot communicate with all parties involved. If students are curious that they may be receiving a new roommate, they can log in to "My ResLife Forms" from the Agora main page and use the "View Room Assignment" link to display all members of the room.

Fall semester residents who are interested in changing rooms for the Spring semester need to contact the Office of Residential Life by December 1st. If a student knows of a Spring semester vacancy, they can request to change to this room once the vacancy has been confirmed. Once approved to make the move, the student will need to coordinate with the current residents and move prior to leaving for the winter break. If the student does not move prior to leaving for break, the approved move may be rescinded. Students who are looking to move but do not know of a specific room they would like to go to need to move all of their belongings home. Over break, the student will receive a new accommodation and can move in during the assigned days for move-in.

Room Changes During the Summer Break

Following room selection, all room assignments for upperclassmen are permanent; however, over the course of the summer we may experience some attrition, resulting in vacancies. These vacancies will be filled at the discretion of the Office of Residential Life through students who have registered for Final Selection and any new admitted residential students.

The Office of Residential Life does not contact residents over the summer if there has been a change to the students living in their room. It is expected that if a student is leaving campus, they are responsible for informing their roommates. In mid- to late August, students can log in to "My Reslife Forms" from the Agora main page to see if any changes to their roommates have occurred.

If students are looking to change their room assignment, the Office of Residential Life does not process room changes over the summer. If students are still interested after the first two weeks of the semester, they can contact their Resident Director.

Room Changes Due to De-tripling

Within the freshmen area, relocating students from forced triple* rooms is a high priority. Students living in these rooms are given first preference to change rooms and will be offered a change on a space-available basis. The Office of Residential Life will work to try to solve the most tenuous situations first. Following these situations, the Office of Residential Life will contact all students in forced triples, informing them of the opportunity to move.

When rooms express an interest in being de-tripled, the Office of Residential Life will contact all residents of the room to determine which student would like to relocate. If no one in the room is willing to relocate, the Office of Residential Life will contact another room.

The Office of Residential Life works to de-triple rooms throughout the academic year.

Emergency Room Changes

At times it becomes necessary to change a student’s location with little or no notice. Although this is not a desired way to move students, situations arise that may require immediate relocation. Examples of this could be a facilities issue affecting a room, administrative moves, or changes to assist students who are in need. The Office of Residential Life makes every effort to inform students when they may receive a new roommate, but sometimes the time line can be very truncated.

In situations like this, we realize it is challenging for both the student moving in and the current residents of the room, but, due to the extenuating circumstances surrounding these moves, the Office of Residential Life expects all parties to be understanding and to cooperate.

Things to Keep in Mind for Room Changes

• At the beginning of each semester, there is a two-week freeze on room changes. After this period ends, please see your Resident Director if you are interested in a room change.
• If there is a vacancy in your room, please keep in mind that our Conditions for Residency stipulate that the residents should create a welcoming environment to any new student assigned to that room.
• If you are changing rooms, please have the courtesy to talk with your roommates.
• If you are moving to a different building on campus, there may be a price difference and change in meal plan.
• Once you have completed your move, please take the time to introduce yourself to your new Resident Assistant.
• Please remember to inform the campus mailroom of any change in location to ensure that there are no delays in delivering your mail.
• To avoid any fees, when switching rooms please make sure you return your room key (if applicable) to the Office of Residential Life’s main office.

* Pursuant to its authority under Chapter II of the Massachusetts Housing Code, minimum standards of fitness for human habitation (105 CMR 410.100), the city of Newton Health and Human Services Department has granted a variance to the minimum square footage requirements (105 CMR 410.400) to allow specific rooms to be used as triples.

For a list of rooms, or if you have any questions about the variance, please contact the Director of Residential Life at 617-552-4725.