As housing assignments were released for the 2024-2025 academic school year, many upperclassmen expressed concern about not being able to get on-campus housing assignments. 

Director of Housing Operations & BearCard Heather Romine said despite the higher demand for upperclassmen housing, Housing has “not had a change in inventory for 24-25.”

Romine said, “We are aware the demand for housing is high this year and are working to make sure we can accommodate students that want to live on campus.”

Romine said, “Freshman halls include Arkansas, Baridon, Bernard, Carmichael, Conway, Hughes and State Halls. The current capacity for those halls is 1,450. We also have some freshmen living in Bear and Farris Halls,” she said.

Romine said UCA Commitment’s effect on campus housing is “unknown at this point.” 

Several students received an email from Housing stating, “Due to the high demand for on-campus housing for the fall 2024 semester, most upperclassmen rooms have been reserved at this time.” 

The Housing email said, “We will make housing assignments based on the date of application completion with your room preference and room availability. 

“This does not mean you are not getting an assignment. You may not get your first preference. When cancellations come in, we will assign based on the date and time of your application submission date.”

Kaleigh Mills, a sophomore music major, said she had issues navigating the housing selection site on the pick-a-room day.

“I was in the portal at the exact time slot and pretty much every preference I put in my application was full,” Mills said. “My preference was a single room in Bear Village, Donaghey or New. The options that showed up for me only included Bear Village and some other on-campus apartments with double rooms.

“There were a few single-room options but we weren’t able to choose them,” she said. “My roommate for next year called Housing and they said the single rooms were a glitch and there were only double rooms available in any of those. They were nice but weren’t much help past that.”

Clear Sky Greenlee, a current freshman majoring in English, also said it was difficult to secure an on-campus room. 

“With housing, regardless of applying for housing next semester as soon as it was available, almost immediately all the halls were filled and there were no singles available,” Greenlee said. “It was either choose Bear Hall or find an apartment.”

“I’ve reached out to Housing and the only thing they said was they’re trying and there’s just no availability currently — poor staff member was crying on the phone; I imagine she’s gotten calls about it all day,” Greenlee said. “Last year was super easy. I got exactly the room and dorm I wanted with no complaints. This year is ridiculous.”

“I didn’t get a housing assignment,” they said. “It’s ridiculous that singles aren’t available and that we’ve over-packed the campus with incoming freshmen. I didn’t give up the rest of my financial freedom just to be chucked under a bus because some new freshmen are coming.”

Aliyah Coleman, a junior majoring in family and consumer science, said she struggled with the pick-a-room process and could not get the halls she selected as her preferences.

“I was sent an email from UCA Housing on March 26, notifying me of the pick-a-room selection process for the fall 2024-2025 semester. My time slot for pick-a-room was on Tuesday, April 2, at approximately 4 p.m.,” she said.

Coleman said when she logged onto the Housing portal at her designated time slot, she assumed she would have upperclassmen housing options available to her.

“I didn’t understand at all, I thought I was at least going to be able to get a spot in Donaghey [Hall]. I searched and searched and it was gone,” she said. “I was then forced to choose an on-campus apartment since they offered a single-room option. It wasn’t really what I was hoping for, and I had to change some plans around financially. I don’t really think it’s fair that upperclassmen have to fend for a spot and be left out as opposed to the many freshmen who come in.”

Coleman said she heard similar housing situations are happening at other colleges, such as the University of Arkansas.

“They need more room for upperclassmen, and I understand they may not have expected the retention rate to be so large with upperclassmen living on campus, but with the way things are so expensive now, the university should be prepared for that,” Coleman said. “I know of people who were not able to get into on-campus apartments, nor can they afford to live off campus because it is too expensive.”

Coleman said she called Housing about her experience, and Housing told her “they weren’t expecting so many people to get Donaghey [Hall] the minute it opened.”

“I think they need a new system for the housing process as a whole. I don’t know what necessarily but they need to work the logistics on the whole process, because it’s so unfair to those who have been here longer than a semester,” Coleman said. “I was able to get a housing assignment, thankfully.

“However, I am roomed with two freshmen in the on-campus apartment. I don’t have any bias towards freshmen but I’m about to be 21 and I don’t want to necessarily room with 18-year-olds.”

Junior Colton Hayes, a communications and public relations double major, said he has struggled to find off-campus housing in Conway.

“In my experience, trying to find a one-bedroom apartment for a reasonable price in Conway has been extremely difficult,” Hayes said. “The options that are available are rather lackluster and oftentimes located outside of the more desirable areas near campus. I’ve been trying to find a better alternative to my current living situation, but there aren’t many options. I wish Conway landlords were more considerate of the financial constraints placed on college students.”