The following is a Student Council housing proposal. Responses to the proposal can be emailed to The Scroll.
Our housing philosophy is very similar to our philosophy regarding community meals. At Deerfield, we value our sit-down meals because we think it is good for our students to mingle, meet new people, and engage in conversation with a variety of teachers. When housing our students, we also hope to offer them diversity and the chance to meet teachers and students whom they might not have sought out on their own.
During the spring term, the students and the deans will meet for a housing lottery. There will be no pre-draft priority to students who had lower picks in the draft from the previous year. Students who wish to sign up in doubles or triples will not have priority over other students and will participate in the same draft as other students. However, the Dean of Students’ Office may deem a student an appropriate candidate for extra picks if he or she receives zero Accountability Points, rooms in a double or a triple room the previous year, etc. This means that if a student is allotted “extra picks,” that student may draw again in the lottery.
Rising underclassmen will be allowed to sign up with a partner in the draft. In the selection process, underclassmen will select the hall they wish to be in, rather than the room that they prefer. Deerfield wants to promote balanced halls and encourage returning students to meet new students. Upperclassmen will also be allowed to sign up with a partner. Based on their priority in the lottery, they can select what room they desire to be in.
Each spring, the Dean of Students’ Office assigns students to their rooms for the following fall. Once assignments are announced, the committee will not make any changes to the fall housing roster beyond those minor modifications that become necessary on the rare occasion when a student withdraws over the summer. Students are encouraged to discuss issues of incompatibility with their proctors, faculty residents, and their deans, and should be aware that no housing changes will be made before Thanksgiving.
While we often consider student preferences as expressed in housing applications, the Academy reserves the right to reject all preferences and to assign students to rooms considered to be best suited to their needs.