Your residency with us as a student begins with the assignment process. Whether you are a new student or a returning student, this information should help answer most questions pertaining to securing a room assignment. Please note that while the following sections will give a better understanding of the assignment process, this is not a full list of the housing contract conditions and students are encouraged to read the contract.

General Room Assignments

Once a student applies for housing and has completed the application process, they are assigned to a space within the residence hall that best fits their class standing and/or request. Students that would like to live together as roommates must request each other on their housing applications or at Room Draw to be accommodated. There are no guarantees on requests for private rooms and all efforts will be made to offer private rooms as they become available during the consolidation process.

Check-in Procedures

Upon move-in, students will be given a Room Condition Report (RCR), their key and will have an ID or will get their ID made upon check-in. Students will be escorted to their room and will be greeted by their RA who will help walk them through the RCR process if needed. This is not a time for students to swap rooms.

Private Rooms

When space permits, a student may request a private room for an additional charge being placed on their student account. The Office of Housing and Residence Life will attempt to honor all requests for private rooms; however, the university reserves the right to consolidate private rooms should crowded conditions exist. Students will be contacted prior to any consolidation. Private rooms will be granted to students in accordance to date and time housing application is received in the Office of Housing and Residence Life office.

Overflow-Assignments

The Office of Housing and Residence Life may assign a third occupant to a double room when the need arises. Normally, the third occupant in a double room will be reassigned once open spaces become available on campus.

Yet to be Assigned List

There may be times when the Office of Housing and Residence Life reaches its housing capacity. In these instances, students wishing to live on campus will be placed on a “yet to be assigned” list and are assigned as space opens in the summer. These students are assigned based on their original priority number (date that completed application was received by Office of Housing and Residence Life). No guarantee of housing and/or roommate preference can be honored for students placed on this list.

Reallocation of Space

Every year, due to changes in the student body and special interest groups that need housing, the Office of Housing and Residence Life reevaluates current housing patterns and reallocates space accordingly.

Medical Documentation for Special Housing

Students at The W who are requesting special housing because of a medical or psychiatric condition must first submit appropriate documentation of the condition to the Office of Housing and Residence Life for approval. The student’s physician or therapist should provide justification of the requested accommodation if this is not evident from the provided documentation.

Decisions regarding eligibility for these requests can be reached only after appropriate documentation of the diagnosis and supporting data have been received. Students requesting this special housing should provide this documentation as soon as possible because of the time required to respond to individual requests. Requests for special housing accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and receipt of the documentation does not guarantee that the accommodation will be granted.

Room Consolidation

Room consolidation is the process in which during the first 14 days of the semester, any student who becomes the sole occupant of a room may receive a written notice from the Office of Housing and Residence Life indicating to the student that they must do one of the following:

• Find a new roommate. The Office of Housing and Residence Life will provide a list of students looking for roommates.
• Be reassigned a new room or roommate.
• Claim the room as a private with the added private room charge being placed on the student account. Students who do not respond to the written notification in the first 14 days will, at the discretion of the Office of Housing and Residence Life, either be:
  • Reassigned a different room.
  • Assigned a new roommate.

Office of Housing and Residence Life will make the final decision on all moves during room consolidation. In the event that room consolidation occurs within a learning community, themed housing and/or other special interest housing, Office of Housing and Residence Life will work in cooperation with the respective department, social club, faculty, and/or staff member to ensure the best overall consolidation plan for that community.

Room Changes

Before Move In Day

Residents who wish to request a room change or roommate change must contact the Office of Housing & Residence Life before move-in day to request a room change.

If the change is to another roommate, the other roommate must also contact the department to verify the room change. Once both parties have verified the wish for the assignment change. Information will be sent out to all parties that are affected by the change (former roommates and new roommates), but suitemates will not be contacted. 

All inquiries should be submitted to the Director of Housing & Residence Life at housing@muw.edu or contact the office at (662)329-7127.

After Move In Day

It is the philosophy of Office of Housing and Residence Life that room changes are not the answer to all roommate problems. An important aspect of the collegiate experience is living and learning with different types of people with varying interests and traits. Residents working together, with the assistance of their RAs, can help solve problems. This experience can benefit everyone involved and in the end, residents will be better equipped to work with different types of people.

Room changes may not occur without the consent of Office of Housing and Residence Life. All requests must be submitted to the Residence Director of the building which you are wanting to move to. The Residence Director will then be in contact with the residents on rooms available. Anyone changing rooms improperly will be subject to disciplinary action and/or charges.

In the event there are roommate/suitemate issues and a resident wishes to change their room assignment, and all courses of mediation have been exhausted, the person requesting the move will be responsible for moving out of the room unless it has been determined that the result of the move is due to behavioral issues on the part of a roommate/suitemate. In these situations, the Residence Director, reserves the right to make the final room change.

No room changes will occur within the first two weeks of the semester or within the last two weeks of the semester. This allows the Office of Housing and Residence Life to establish where spaces are/are not available.