Resident assistants looking to live the single life started Fall with some unexpected company.
About 100, or one half of the RAs live in spaces that could potentially accommodate a roommate, Sharon Blansett, assistant to the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, wrote in an email.
Students living in two RA rooms were moved to permanent housing Wednesday, and 16 more will be moving out. Blansett said universities must “overbook” housing, as some students do not make their acceptance decisions until the last minute.
“Some students have as many as 3 – 5 active admission/housing contracts pending final decisions,” she said.
UF Housing contracts can be canceled until residence halls open in the Fall. Based on past data, staff can factor this into the number of contracts offered and accepted to ensure the halls are full, Blansett said.
This guarantees rental rates to cover operational costs like mortgages, utilities and staff salaries.
Blansett said RAs being assigned roommates is not new or unique to UF. RAs, beyond those who volunteered, lived with a roommate in 2009, 2012 and 2014. All available RA roommate spaces were used this Fall.
Demi Danso, 21, said she lived alone as an RA in Yulee during the 2013-2014 school year.
“I know some people who applied to be RAs just to have their own room,” the UF health science senior said. “I would’ve been devastated. After living with roommates, you just want your own space.”
Danso said RAs living with roommates have it harder than she did because they are not only trying to build relationships between roommates in the hall, but in their own rooms as well.
Recognizing this, housing offered RAs who volunteered to live with a roommate a monetary incentive. Those who landed a roommate by chance received one, as well.
“This year, administrative staff communicated this option earlier than usual in an effort to allow more time for RAs to make decisions,” Blansett said. “The option is available every year as an (sic) voluntary option.”
A priority list has been made to move all students living with RAs to permanent spaces as rooms become available. Undoubling RA doubles is a priority on this list, Blansett said, and the process will be ongoing.
This year, about seven RAs with roommates requested to stay together.
“RAs are generally supportive of this initiative,” Blansett said. “The monetary incentives are well-received by RAs.”
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 9/12/2014 under the headline "RAs may go through Fall with roommates"]
