by Nathan Scharn
October 22, 2007

The point system for on-campus housing was updated by the Office of Residential Life last Monday, but the policy that subtracts points for missed chapels still stands. Residential Life proposed the new system to Student Congress on Oct. 8. SC added to and approved the new system.

The point system is a formula used to determine priority for housing selection. The higher a student’s point tally, the higher priority he or she has in selecting housing for next year. 

Students will receive points for a variety of academic and extracurricular activities, including participation in LEAD Week and performance in the LEAP program, which is designed to help at-risk first-time freshmen.

Additionally, students will be rewarded more points for higher GPAs and a point for each week they are displaced by bedbugs.

In addition, points for those in the LEAP program, RAs and RA alternates are included in the point system revision.

One point will be subtracted from the student’s point total for every chapel missed below the required chapel attendance.

Junior Ryan Roberson, who studied abroad for spring 2007, had problems with housing selection after the point system was adopted. He submitted an off-campus living petition.

“I was told by a Res. Life lady that, more often than not, every student that requested to live off-campus was eventually granted to live off-campus,” Roberson said.

When the new system took effect, he had to re-submit his petition, which, based on the new system, was denied.

“I didn’t have enough points,” said Roberson. “That directly correlated with missing chapel.”

When Roberson missed those chapels, he was not aware that they would detract from his point total and cost him the chance to live off-campus his junior year.

“I had the credits; I did LEAD Week,” Roberson said.

When Roberson checked his portal in the summer to see where he would be living, he had been assigned to Goodwin.

“Less than a week before school started I checked again, and they stuck me in Young Hall,” said Roberson.

He admitted that he had been negligent by applying for housing without a roommate but was unwilling to live in Young Hall as a junior. Roberson then threatened to leave the school and was soon moved from Young Hall to Goodwin Hall.

“I’m disappointed that it took me threatening to leave Point Loma to grant me living in an upperclassman hall,” he said.

Like Roberson, many students were frustrated as they lost points and, subsequently, priority housing registration because of chapel attendance.

“I feel like the things that were complained about were kept,” said ASB Vice President Amy Gunderson.

Gunderson felt that the chapel attendance aspect was the point system issue that was complained about the most.

“The university’s response is that [chapel] is part of the community of Point Loma,” said Jackie Armstrong, student housing coordinator and RD of Finch Hall.

The point system was implemented last year, after Brandon Hill addressed SC on the issue in November 2006. He felt that the prior cohort system, which gave priority housing selection based on how many years a student has been out of high school, trapped non-traditional students, such as students with higher class standings than their peers. The point system, which was a classification system, was intended to be more clear and consistent.

Hill said the new system was not made apparent to the students as much or as early as it should have been last year, but that this year, the Office of Residential Life will do more to publicize the system.

Students will be notified of their point totals via e-mail prior to housing registration for the 2008-2009 school year.