Pitzer Housing Selection

NOTE: This website is intended for returning students. New students should refer to their Admission materials for timelines and next steps.

Information for 2020-2021 Academic Year

Residence Life is in the midst of modernizing our entire Housing Selection process!

As announced in Spring 2019, ResLife is transitioning all Room Selection processes onto our new online software system, Residence.  This transition means students will have one central place to check housing assignments, request a room changes, change meal plans, submit pending applications, form a roommate group, select a room/suite, and more! This software will allow you to complete the entire Room Selection process ONLINE. You will no longer need to visit the Residence Life Office in person to select your space! We are eager to show how this system will help to streamline our processes and give students a housing experience that is easier to navigate.

https://pitzer-residence.symplicity.com/

Please see important dates below or within the Weekly Update above.

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding Housing Selection, please contact the Residence Life Office at 909-607-3900, email housing@pitzer.edu or stop by the Residence Life Office, East Sanborn, C300. As always, any member of the Residence Life Staff will be more than happy to answer your questions.

What is Housing Selection?

Housing Selection is the process by which students and their roommate groups have the opportunity to select their housing for the upcoming academic year. Students will receive a Housing Selection time (randomized within each graduation year). This time determines the order in which students select housing. The Housing Selection time will also be used to determine the order in which housing assignments are made for the spring term for students returning from a study abroad program.

  • Rising Seniors will have the best Housing Selection times, followed by Juniors and Sophomores.
  • During Housing Selection, suites are chosen based on Housing Selection time.
  • Residence Life reserves the right to pause Housing Selection at any time to review room availability and/or procedures.

Housing Selection for returning students has 3 main phases:

  1. Apply
  2. Roommate Group and Room Explore
  3. Selection
  • What's New for 2020 - 2021?
    1. Pitzer is excited to continue offering apartment style living at the Claremont Collegiate Apartments. Click here for more information!
    2. All students will be using our new Residence software system to apply for Housing Selection and will be able to choose housing placements online.
    3. “Suite Draw” will no longer be used.  Instead, students interested in living together in suites/rooms will form “Roommate Groups”.  The Leader of their Roommate Group will login to the Residence site at their assigned Housing Selection time and see what suite are available for their group.  Groups must fit the EXACT capacity of the suite in which they are choosing.
    4. Students studying abroad will no longer designated a “Proxy”.  Instead they can participate virtually in the process by joining a Roommate Group or selecting their space at their designated Housing Selection time.
    5. Students will be able to see their current Roommates and Suitemates on their Residence homepage at all times.
    6. ALL students will complete an application for the following semester only.
  • Important Dates and Deadlines 2020-2021

     Please note that all dates and times are subject to change. Please be sure to check your Pitzer email and this website for updated information!

    PLEASE NOTE: These deadlines are important and mandatory to secure on-campus housing for next year. Any late applications may not be accepted.

    Housing Application Live: February 28

    Application Due Dates (UPDATED 4/27)

    • Off Campus applications due: April 3rd
    • Accommodation due to disability applications due: April 3rd
    • Claremont Collegiate Apartments: April 13th
    • West, East, Skandera, Mead halls: April 13th

    Group and Explore begins April 20th

    Housing Selection Dates

    • CCA and Main Campus
      • Currently postponed as of 4.27.2020
    • Pre-Placed (Student leaders and Accommodations due to disability)
      • Will be placed into CCA or main campus rooms before selections.

     

  • Phase 1: Apply

    Every Pitzer student will be required to fill out an application on their “Residence” homepage for each academic year.

    • ALL Returning students will complete a Returning housing application for the following semester in their Residence portal.
    • ALL Students will provide their meal plan and complete a Roommate Matching Profile.

    Housing Selection Applications:

    • New Student Housing Application
    • Returning Student Housing Application
      • Off campus
      • Study Abroad (non-housing)
      • Pre-placement in a single room as an accommodation due to a disability or Student leader.
      • Housing Selection – choose your suitemates and suite location.

  • Phase 2: Roommate Group and Room Explore (currently paused)

    Off Campus

    Students that apply for off campus will be notified via email of their approval.

    Pre-Selection placement

    Students who are Pre-placed into rooms will be notified via email of their room assignment and will be offered the chance to pass on their room assignments, in order to participate in housing selection.

    • Most often students with accommodations due to a disability, and student leaders.
    • These students will already have rooms assigned, and will not participate in Phase 2: Roommate Group and Room Explore.
      • There is no need to make Roommate Groups.

    Housing Selection

    Remaining Students seeking to choose their roommates, suitemates and where they will live.

    Roommate Groups: Under the Roommates tab

    • Once the Housing Application is approved by residence life staff, students will be able to create Roommate Groups using their roommate code, or invitations.
    • Students will also be able to search and find available roommates by reviewing the information provided on the Roommate Matching Profile section of the Housing Application.
    • Roommate Groups will designate a Group leader that will make the final housing selection.
    • Once a Roommate Group has been formed, students will be able to review suites and apartments that are available for selection.
    • The size and members of the roommate group will not be locked, membership in the group can change all the way through Phase 3: Selection.

    Room Explore: Under the Room Selection Tab

    • Students can explore what Suites and Apartments are currently available.
      • Beds still available in each Suite and Apartment will be viewable.
      • Each student can star favorite spaces for future reference.
    • The group leader can open each suite.
    • The current group size must match the available spaces in a suite/apartment. These matches will be highlighted in blue.

  • Phase 3: Selection (Currently postponed)

    Selection Times

    • Individual Selection Time
      • Each student will receive an individual selection time.
      • Individual selection times are based on class designation and the submission time of the Housing Application.
      • This will only be used to inform the Group Selection Time.
    • Group Selection Time
      • The earliest individual selection time among the current members of a group will be the group selection time.
      • This will change according to the current members of the group.
      • This is when the Group Leader will make the final selection and room placements for each member in the group.
    • Remember that groups must fill the rest of an apartment/suite. The group size must perfectly match the available spaces. These apartments will be highlighted in blue.
    • Residence Life staff will monitor to ensure only those qualified for single spaces (Juniors, Seniors) will be placed there.

  • Frequently Asked Questions

     

    Q: How many people do I need in my roommate group?

    A: The Residence system will show you available suites/apartments based on the number of people in your group. Groups must ‘complete’ a suites/apartment so the number of group members much exactly match the number of available spaces in a suite/apartment. These spaces can easily be seen as they will be highlighted in Blue.

    • WES has options for 4 person groups (4 singles or 2 doubles)
    • Mead has options for 8 person groups (4 singles and 2 doubles) as well as 4 person groups (1 double and 2 singles). Suites will have students pre-placed before selection, so available spaces may differ.
    • CCA has options for 2 bed/1 bath apartments and 3 bed/2 bath apartments. All rooms are singles that sophomores are eligible for. All apartments have full kitchens.

    Q: What if I need one more person in my group in order to fit a suite?

    A: Students are welcome to search for matches in the roommate search function. If groups need one more person, and would like an unknown transfer/exchange student to live with them, they can email Housing@pitzer.edu. We will add a placeholder student in Residence so that the group can complete the suite during selection.

    Q: I am the Leader for my Roommate Group.  What do I need to do?

    A: Roommate group leaders are can be changed throughout the process by the members of the group. As leader you need to be logged into Residence during your Group Selection time.  At your designated time you will choose your groups’ housing location.

    Q:  My friend is going abroad in the Spring but wants to live in our suite in the Fall. Do I need to find someone to fill their space in the Spring?

    A: No, we will be running a separate Spring semester Housing Selection process in the Fall semester.  At that time you’ll be able to add new roommates for spring semester (or one will be assigned to you by Residence Life) based on availability and policy.

  • Who is eligible for Housing Selection?
    • Currently enrolled students planning to attend Pitzer College the following academic term are eligible to participate in Housing Selection.
    • Students currently on a Leave of Absence need to have declared their “Return from Leave” with the Registrar’s Office before participating in Housing Selection.
  • Single Rooms

    Who is eligible for a single room?

    • Rising Juniors and Seniors are eligible for single rooms.
    • Rising Sophomores are not eligible for main campus single rooms regardless of credits recorded in the Registrar’s Office.
    • Sophomores are eligible for CCA single rooms.
    • Please note that there is an additional cost for a single room.

    Please refer to the tuition and fees website for current pricing https://www.pitzer.edu/student-accounts/tuition-fees/.

    Any student receiving Financial Aid should speak with their assigned counselor about the additional cost of living in a single room.

    How can I secure a single room?

    Single rooms are assigned in a variety of ways including:

    • Housing Selection process with a Roommate Group.
    • Apply and approved for CCA.
    • Room Accommodations for Disabilities for students with specific disability accommodations. (pre-placed)
    • Assigned to RAs to fulfill their position requirements. (pre-placed)

    How many single rooms are there?

    Only 23% of main campus residence halls rooms are singles.

  • Off-Campus Applications

    The Off Campus Application is now part of the master Housing Application. In the “Application Selection” tab, select “Off Campus”.

    All students, regardless of class standing or previous housing arrangements (i.e. on or off-campus or abroad the previous semester), are required to submit an application to live off-campus. Only those students that receive written approval from the Residence Life will be permitted to live off-campus.

    Students are granted off-campus status following the priority criteria below:

    • Students living with family, married students, students with children, and students 24 years old or older
    • Students with verifiable medical documentation that warrants off-campus housing
    • And (if space remains)…
    • Rising Fourth-year students
    • Rising Third-year students

    All students must submit off campus applications by the deadline mentioned in the timeline to be considered. If an off-campus application is not submitted, the student will need to participate in Housing Selection processes or be assigned an on-campus double room.

    If an off campus application is approved, the student will be notified of their application status via Pitzer email prior to Housing Selection and forfeits the opportunity to participate in the Housing Selection process.

    All students who fail to submit an off-campus application by the deadline, are denied off campus approval, and/or do not attend room draw will be automatically placed in campus housing and will be responsible for all room and board fees.

     

  • Gender-Inclusive Housing

    Gender-inclusive housing options are available campus wide. Gender-inclusive housing provides a living environment where student housing is not restricted to traditional limitations imposed by gender and/or sex definitions. This option is ideal for students whose gender expression, gender identity and/or biological sex varies from the standard paradigm and for students who believe that their gender and/or biological sex should not be limiting factors in roommate decisions. No student will be restricted by traditional limitations of gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, or other identities pertaining thereto.

    All students will have the option to participate in, or opt out of, gender-inclusive housing on their application.

  • Housing Accommodation for Disabilities

    The Room Accommodation for Disabilities Application is now part of the master Housing Application. In the “Pre-Selection Placement” tab, select “Room Accommodation due to a Disability”.

    Any student who is seeking an accommodation in their housing arrangement (i.e. single room, top floor, etc.) must apply via the Room Accommodations for Disabilities Application on the Residence site each year.  Residence Life will work with  Academic Support Services  to make determinations on each RADA application submitted.

    For more information regarding housing accommodations, please visit the Pitzer Academic Support website here: https://www.pitzer.edu/student-life/academic-support-services/. Please email housing@pitzer.edu for access to the RADA application.

  • Roommate Groups

    Roommate Groups are a group of students who want to live together in the same suite/room.

    • All Roommate Groups MUST submit Applications on Residence and select each other via the Roommate Group process.
    • Groups must choose adjoining rooms (e.g. within a suite)
    • Students must be eligible for a single room in order to select a single room.

     

    Housing Selection Times and Roommate Groups

    Roommate groups will use the best of their Housing Selection Times as the time their group is able to select in Residence.

     

    What if we don’t have enough people to fill a full suite?

    We encourage you to reach out explore the Roommate Group search functions in an attempt to fill any empty spaces in your suite. Roommate Groups will only be able to choose suites for which their group fills completely and are qualified for.

    In the case your Roommate Group loses 50% of its participants after a suite is secured, the open spaces in your suite will be filled by Residence Life.

    What if someone in our suite does not return to Pitzer in the fall or spring after we secure housing with a Roommate Group?

    In the case one of your applicants pulls out of your Roommate Group because they will not be on campus (i.e. taking a leave or late abroad decision), your Leader may be able to meet with the Residence Life Office to explore the different options available for the space.

    If the Residence Life Office is given official notice from the College that someone will no longer be attending Pitzer BEFORE the specific dates below, the suite may have the opportunity to replace the person vacating the space.

    • Fall occupancy – July 1st
    • Spring Occupancy – November 1st

    In the case the Residence Life Office is notified AFTER the dates above, someone will be placed in the space that will be vacated for the next semester.

  • Off Board Applications

    Off Board Applications

    All students who live on campus are required to be on the 16 or 12 board plan unless the student has a specific medical condition that precludes them from being on a board plan.

    • Students can select ‘no meal plan’ within the returning student application.
    • Students applying for off board status due to a medical condition must provide documentation from their personal physician stating why they are unable to be on the meal plan and a list of foods that they cannot eat.
    • All applications and documentation will be reviewed by the General Manager of Bon Appétit, Residence Life, and Pitzer Academic Support Services. Depending on your application, you may need to schedule a meeting with Dining Services to see if they can formulate a meal plan that meets the student’s dietary needs.
    • All students are financially responsible for board plan costs until notified in writing that there has been a change of status.
  • Returning Students, Need a Roommate?

    In order to assist Residence Life with finding a space for everyone, we invite you to complete a Housing Application, accessible within your Residence account, to provide Residence Life your living and meal plan preferences. After submitting that form, students can search for a preferred roommate of their choosing:

    Submitting the Returning Student Housing Application

    Once you complete an application, Residence Life will review and approve your application. One section of the application, the Roommate Matching Profile, is public. Students will then be able to search each other’s Roommate Matching Profiles for potential roommate matches for spring semester.

    I’d like to choose my roommate: Searching other Matching Profiles, and Roommate Groups

    Under the roommate tab, you will be able to review other student’s Matching Profiles, and message each other within the Residence system. If two students wish to live in a double together, one student can then send a Roommate Group Invite, to which the other can accept.

  • Deferred Housing Wait List

    Typically there is a Deferred Housing wait list generated prior to each semester.  This Deferred Housing list is for students who still need housing for the coming semester and will be placed by Residence Life.

    Deferred Housing means that these students will typically get a housing assignment in early August after all the summer movement is complete or, for spring semester, in mid-December.  Housing is freed up over the summer due to: study abroad, leave of absences, first-year class enrollment, etc.  The Residence Life Office will contact students on the Deferred Housing list in room draw number order to give them their housing placement as soon as something becomes available.

  • Students Going Abroad

    Students that will be abroad must submit a Housing Application for the semester  that they are on study abroad. However, they will also need to virtually participate in a limited Housing Selection for the following semester while abroad.

     

    Helpful Tips

    • Be Informed – Check your Pitzer email for official announcements regarding Housing Selection. The website will be updated accordingly.
    • Know Important Dates – Be sure to refer to important deadlines ahead of time! Deadlines will be posted on our website and on your Residence homepage. Please be aware of various form submission deadlines and plan ahead, especially if your program has limited internet access or excursions that may prohibit you from accessing your email on a regular basis for any period of time.