As the end of the semester approaches, some students living in the residence halls may decide to change their on–campus housing arrangements for the spring.

Students will have the option of transferring rooms for the next semester up until the end of November, said Michael Stang, executive director of Housing and Dining. He added that after this date, students new to NIU will be placed in vacant rooms.

There are several reasons why students decide to transfer rooms.

These reasons may include problems with roommates or a change in a student’s eligibility to live in one of NIU’s living learning communities, Stang said.

There are a few things students interested in changing rooms must do to complete the process.

“A student typically begins the room transfer process by talking to their complex coordinator, hall director or chief clerk,” said Tim Trottier, assistant director of Facilities and Operations. “We work with students to grant all possible requests.”

Trottier said that once a member of the hall staff has approved a transfer, students will then work with the chief clerk to complete paperwork and exchange keys. He added that students should be completely moved out of their old rooms and into the new ones within 48 hours.

The type of rooms available varies from building to building.

Currently, there are mainly empty beds in double rooms and suites, Trottier said.

A student’s first choice for a room will not always be available.

Trottier noted that there may not always be a vacancy in the building or type of room a student desires.

“If they don’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll be put on a waiting list,” Stang said.

Sometimes students will transfer to rooms that are more or less expensive than the ones they lived in previously.

Stang said that the rate will adjust appropriately based on the date the student moves.

Students moving onto a new floor may have a difficult time getting along with their new roommates and neighbors.

New people moving onto a floor will be harder to get along with because everyone else has had a few months to get to know each other, said Dan Lingafelter, community advisor for Grant Towers B.

“In this situation, I would still treat that person as if he or she had always lived on the floor, but I would try a bit harder to be sure that the person felt welcomed and accepted,” Lingafelter said.

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