LOTTERY 2013-14

The Housing Lottery is an online application designed to allow current residential students the opportunity to select their housing accommodations for the upcoming academic year. Eligible students will be issued a Lottery time ticket and PIN and will be able to access the application from any computer, at their designated time or anytime thereafter, until the application is closed.

Rappahannock River Hall is the new residence hall currently under construction. It will open in August 2013 and be available to upper-class students during the 2013-14 Housing Lottery.

We encourage students to read the Housing Lottery information on the web site and to attend an Information Session:

Monday, December 3rd @ 8 pm - Santoro Hall - 1 North TV Lounge

Tuesday, December 4th @ 8 pm - Potomac River Hall - Potomac South Multi-purpose Room

Thursday, December 6th @ 7:30pm - Warwick Hall – West Multi-purpose Room

Monday, January 14th @ 8 pm- Santoro Hall- Multi-purpose Room

Tuesday, January 15th @ 8pm - James River Hall -Multi-purpose Room

Wednesday, January 16th @ 8pm - York River Hall – York East Multi-purpose Room

Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery:

  • Be a current residential or a CNU sponsored Study Abroad student during the spring 2013 semester.  
  • Read and agreed to the terms of the 2013-14 Housing and Dining Services Contract.
  • Submitted online the Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form by the January 31, 2013 deadline. Students who submit their contracts after the deadline will not be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery. These students will be administratively placed by the Office of Residence Life and will not be given the option to request a roommate or select a residence hall.
  • Possess a housing deposit with a minimum balance of $100.00. (Refer to Housing Deposit section for additional information)
  • Registered as a full-time undergraduate student (12 credits or more) or a full-time graduate student (9 credits or more) for the fall 2013 semester.
  • Be in good standing with the Business Office including tuition, fees, and any fine(s) you may have received. All fees must be paid or other payment arrangements (i.e. Federal Pell grant, Stafford Student Loans, AMS, VSSS, etc.) made with the Business Office by the January 31st deadline. Any delinquent accounts may cause a resident to be ineligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery.

 

TIMELINE

Information Sessions December 2012 - January 2013. Students are strongly encouraged to attend an Information Session. East Campus residents are encouraged to attend an information session in one of the upper-class buildings.

Monday, December 3rd @ 8 pm - Santoro Hall - 1 North TV Lounge

Tuesday, December 4th @ 8 pm - Potomac River Hall - Potomac South Multi-purpose Room

Thursday, December 6th @ 7:30pm - Warwick Hall – West Multi-purpose Room

Monday, January 14th @ 8 pm- Santoro Hall- Multi-purpose Room

Tuesday, January 15th @ 8pm - James River Hall -Multi-purpose Room

Wednesday, January 16th @ 8pm - York River Hall – York East Multi-purpose Room

Monday, January 21, 2013 - Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form available online at: http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/resources/index.asp

Monday, January 28, 2013 - The following activities should be completed by 5:00 pm:

  • 2nd & 3rd year student appeals (including appropriate documentation) for an exemption to the University residency requirement must be submitted to the Dean of Students Office, 3rd floor DSU, Suite 3127  
  • Requests for housing accommodations due to a disability must be finalized and approved by the Dean of Students Office, 3rd floor DSU, Suite 3127
  • Theme Unit Application must be submitted to the Office of Residence Life 3rd floor DSU, Suite 3125. Refer to Residence Life web site for more information: http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/residencehalls/jamesriver/themeunits.asp *
  • 2013-14 Room Retention Form *

* Each student listed on the Theme Unit Application/Room Retention Form must complete the Contract Acceptance Form online BEFORE submitting the form on Monday, January 28th

Thursday, January 31, 2013 - The following is due:

  • Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form is to be submitted online no later 5:00 pm. No paper copies needed.
  • Housing deposit will carry over from last year. However, if your deposit balance has dropped below the $100 minimum, you will need to replenish the funds up to the $100 minimum. You will be prompted to do so when completing the Contract Acceptance Form.

Note: Forms are available on the Residence Life web site under Resources and Forms, then Forms: http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/resources/index.asp

Friday, February 15, 2013 - Room availability will be listed prior to the Lottery on the Residence Life web site: http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/lottery/index.asp

Tuesday, February 19, 2013 – Lottery appointment times and PINs will be posted to your CNU Start Page in the blue header bar after 5pm.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, March 13, 14 and 15 – Upper-class students according to their appointment time, can log into the online Lottery application between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm and begin the room selection process.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 19, 20 and 21 – Rising 2nd year according to their appointment times, can log into the online Lottery application between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm and begin the room selection process.

Thursday, March 28, 2013 - Last day to cancel Contract Acceptance Form and forfeit your Housing Deposit. To cancel the Contract Acceptance Form, students must submit a completed Lottery Cancellation Form to the Office of Residence Life. After this date, the Housing Contract is enforceable and Room and Board charges will apply if the student remains at CNU (Refer to the 2013-14 Housing & Dining Services Contract for additional information).

KEY ELEMENTS

REQUIREMENTS & ELIGIBILITY for 2013-14

To be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery students must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a current residential or a CNU sponsored Study Abroad student during the spring 2013 semester.
  • Read and agreed to the terms of the 2013-14 Housing and Dining Services Contract.
  • Submitted online your Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form by the January 31, 2013 deadline. Students who submit their contracts after the deadline will not be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery and will be administratively placed by Office of Residence Life.
  • Possess a housing deposit with a minimum balance of $100.00. (Refer to Housing Deposit section for additional information)
  • Registered as a full-time undergraduate student (12 credits or more) or full-time graduate student (9 credits or more) for the fall 2013 semester.
  • Be in good standing with the Business Office including tuition, fees, and any fine(s) you may have received. All fees must be paid or other payment arrangements (i.e. Federal Pell grant, Stafford Student Loans, AMS, VSSS, etc.) made with the Business Office by the January 31, 2013 deadline. Any delinquent accounts may cause a resident to be ineligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery.

NOTES

  • We expect students will participate with honesty and integrity during the 2013-14 Housing Lottery process.
  • Students who currently live off-campus are not eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery. Should students wish to be placed on a waiting list, please contact the Office of Residence Life at 757-594-7756 or reslife@cnu.edu.
  • Office of Residence Life reserves the right to interpret any and all rules as it relates to the 2013-14 Housing Lottery. These rules pertain to the 2013-2014 Lottery Process ONLY.

DEFINITIONS

Residency Requirement – The University Residency Requirement is CNU’s policy regarding on-campus living. The policy requires first, second, and third year students to live on-campus unless they live with a parent or legal guardian in one of the exempted areas. The 2013-14 Housing & Dining Services Contract states:

Effective with the fall 2010 freshman class, first, second and third year students are required to live on-campus unless they live with a parent or legal guardian in one of the following exempted areas: Grafton, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Seaford, and Yorktown.

Rising 2nd year student – first time students admitted as a freshman for fall 2012 or spring 2013 currently living on campus and required to live on campus

Upper-class students -

  • Rising 3rd year students admitted as a freshman for fall 2011 or spring 2012 currently living on campus and required to live on campus
  • Students admitted spring 2011 or prior currently living on campus
  • Graduate students enrolled full-time (9 credits or more) in a CNU graduate program
  • Transfer students admitted fall 2012/spring 2013, who are 20 years of age or older as of September 1, 2013, and currently live on campus
  • Returning and readmitted students admitted fall 2012/spring 2013 who currently live on campus

Space – refers to one bed

Unit – refers to an entire room, suite, or apartment

KEY ELEMENTS

Purpose of the 2013-14 Residential Life Housing Lottery

The 2013-14 Residence Life Housing Lottery is designed to allow current residential students the opportunity to select their housing accommodations for the upcoming academic year. For the 2013-2014 the University anticipates that it will accommodate current students who request on-campus housing through the lottery process. Should students not initially receive an assignment through the Lottery process, they will be placed administratively by the Office of Residence Life.

2013-14 Housing & Dining Services Contract

The 2013-14 Housing & Dining Services Contract is a legally binding agreement that defines the terms and conditions of occupancy while living in the University’s residence halls and properties, as well as the mandatory participation in one of the Dining Services meal plans, where applicable.

Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) Form

All full-time, current undergraduate and graduate residential students as defined in Definitions are required to submit online a Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form no later than Friday, January 31, 2013 to be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery. By virtue of the student’s electronic signature on the Contract Acceptance form, the student accepts and agrees to the terms and conditions as outlined in the 2013-14 Housing & Dining Services Contract.

Students requesting room retention or applying for a Theme Unit must meet an earlier deadline (Refer to Lottery Timeline).   

Note: The Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form link will be turned off at 5pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013.  

Housing Deposit

To be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery, students must have a $100 minimum balance in his/her deposit account. A $250 housing deposit is paid with the submission of your first Contract Acceptance Form or is allocated from the Enrollment Fee paid at the time of admission. The housing deposit will remain on the student’s account until they are no longer a residential student. During a student’s residency, money may have been deducted from the deposit to cover any room charges such as damage fees, cleaning fees, key fees, etc.

If a student's deposit has dropped below the $100 minimum, he/she will be prompted to replenish the balance in order to complete the Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form. Students can make a payment online no later than 5pm on January 31, 2013; mail a check payment to the Cashiers Office before the January 31, 2013; or pay in person at the Cashiers Office no later than 4pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013

Meal Plan

Meal plan requirements vary depending upon a student’s classification and residential unit. First year students are required to select from either a 14 or 19 meal plan. Upper-class students in a suite-style room must select from a 10, 14 or 19 meal plan. Students residing in an apartment with a kitchen within the unit can select from any of the meal plans (5, 10, 14, & 19) or can opt out of a meal plan. Access to a community kitchen does not qualify students for the no Meal Plan option.

If it is determined that the student has selected an ineligible meal plan for their residential assignment (Example: No meal plan in a suite-style room), Residence Life will change the meal plan to a 10 and notify the student of the change via their student email account. Also students wanting to change their initial meal plan selection as a result of their Lottery room selection may do so by completing a new Meal Plan Agreement form and submitting it to the Office of Residence Life no later than 5pm on the first day of the fall semester.

Transfer Student & Other Student Classification

Students who entered the University in either fall 2012 or spring 2013 as a transfer student, readmitted student, or "new-to-housing" student will be classified based on their age.

If the student will be 20 years old by September 1, 2013, he/she will be classified as an upper-class student and will be assigned a Lottery appointment time and PIN with upper-class students. Otherwise, the student will be classified as a 2nd year student and will be assigned a Lottery appointment time and PIN with rising 2nd year students.

Graduate and rising 5th year students may participate in the 2013-2014 Lottery. They should complete the Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form by Thursday, January 31, 2013.

10 Month Apartments – Monroe and Jefferson 

Each year one building from the CNU Apartment complex is designated as a 10-month contract to allow time to refurbish the building during the summer months. For the 2013-14 academic year, the Monroe apartment will be offered as a 10-month contract and will be closed to all student occupancy from June 16th until opening day in August for summer maintenance. If a student currently lives in the Monroe building and is retaining his/her room for 2013-14 academic year, the student will have to remove all of their belongings by June 15, 2013 and will not be able to move back in until the upper-class move-in date scheduled in August 2013.

In addition, the Jefferson apartment building is being offered as a 10-month contract for upper-class students during the Housing Lottery.

CNU Landing

For the 2013-14 academic year, CNU Landing will be a 12-month contract. The contract period will begin on July 1, 2013 and end on June 15, 2014. CNU Landing will be reserved as Greek Housing for the 2013-2014 academic year.

GUIDELINES

Lottery Appointment Times & PIN

Students eligible to participate in the Lottery will receive an individual appointment time and PIN. Appointment times and PINs are randomly generated and indicate the date and time in which the student can log into the Lottery application and make his/her room selection. Appointment times and PINs will be posted to the CNU Start Page in the blue header bar on February 19, 2013 after 5pm.

How to Form a Group

Students should determine with whom they would like to live and form a group. Students should compare individual Lottery appointment times and determine who in the group has the earliest (best) time. This is the time the group will log into the Lottery application and make a room selection.

Upper-class students will not be able to form groups with rising 2nd year students, nor will rising 2nd year students be able to form groups with upper-class students.

Any group member can select a room on behalf of all members of the group; however, the designated person must know the CNU Student ID and Lottery PIN for all of the group members in order to enter the information into the Lottery login screen.

How to Select a Room during the Lottery

During the room selection process, all apartments and suites must be filled to 100% capacity. For example, a group of three students must select a three-person unit and will not be given the option to select a four-person unit.

Upper-class students will select from the CNU Apartments, CNU Village, and the new Rappahannock River Hall with an optimal group size of two, three or four students.

Rising 2nd year students will select from suite-style units available in Potomac River South with the optimal group size of four; or Warwick River Hall with the optimal group size of four, five, or six; and either suite- or apartment-style units in James River Hall with the optimal group size of four, five, or six students.

The Office of Residence Life will post room availability no later than February 15, 2013 on the Residence Life web site: http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/lottery/index.asp

NOTE: There will be no option to overcrowd during the 2013-2014 Lottery process. The University anticipates being able to accommodate students participating in the room selection process.

Unable to Select a Room Due To Group Size

During the room selection process, as other units are being selected by students, there is the possibility that there may not be any more units available to accommodate your group size. If this occurs, students must decide on how they are going to proceed. It is strongly recommended that alternate plans be discussed and these decisions are made prior to the Lottery appointment time.

If the group is unable to select a room because there are no available units for the group size, the group members will have to 1) break into smaller groups; 2) add another student to create a larger group; or 3) individually select a room as a single student based on the individual Lottery appointment time.

Information regarding residence halls and floor plans are available on the Residence Life web site: http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/residencehalls/index.asp

Individual Students

Students that are not part of a group may select a space as an individual.

For upper-class students, the Lottery process will only allow one 10-month, and one 12-month apartment to be open at one time.

For rising 2nd year students, the Lottery process will only allow one suite-style unit or one James River apartment to be open at one time.

Room Retention Option

Room retention allows current residential students living in the CNU Apartments and CNU Village the option to keep their current room assignment for the 2013-14 academic year.

In order to be eligible for the Room Retention option, the following requirements must be met:

  • All residents must be eligible to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery.  
  • All residents must be returning to the University for the 2013-14 academic year.
  • The unit must remain filled with the current residents at more than 50% capacity for the 2013-14 academic year. For example: In a 4-person unit, three of the four residents must remain; in a 3-person unit, two of the three residents must remain; and for a 2-person unit, one of the two residents must remain.
  • If there is a vacancy in the unit to be filled, the remaining residents are responsible for filling the vacancy so the unit is at 100% occupancy for the 2013-14 academic year. The incoming student filling the vacancy must also be the same residential standing or higher of the remaining residents.  
  • All residents agree to keep their current room assignments. NO room changes will be allowed. Students understand they may be charged an Improper Room Change fee if this policy is violated.  
  • All residents have completed the online 2013-14 Contract Acceptance Form prior to submitting a completed Room Retention form with all the required signatures to Office of Residence Life by 5pm on Monday, January 28, 2013. NO Room Retention Forms will be accepted unless all residents have submitted their Contract Acceptance Form before the Monday, January 28, 2013 deadline.
  • Current Monroe Apartment residents can retain their unit with the understanding that they MUST remove their belongings, complete a proper check-out, and vacate the unit no later than June 15, 2013 to allow for summer maintenance. Students also understand that no early arrivals will be allowed and they may not return until the August 2013 upper-class move-in date.

NOTE: The Room Retention Option is reviewed annually by the Office of Residence Life and policies are determined based on the anticipated housing needs of the University. Therefore, the Room Retention Option may be subject to change and may not be a viable Lottery option in the future.

James River Theme Units

James River Hall has three areas designated as Theme Unit Housing. These areas consist of 14 co-ed spaces (4 single and 5 double, same gender rooms) surrounding two community bathrooms, a kitchen, and a common living and dining area with furniture provided by the University. Theme Unit Housing is specifically designed for 2nd year students sharing common interests and whose stated goals and objectives can be enhanced through a shared living environment.

 For the 2013-14 academic year students have the option of creating their own theme unit. There are three available theme units. Students must apply as a group totaling 14 and define a theme for the unit. The gender ratio for the unit should be 40/60. The theme units are located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors of James River Hall.

Any students wishing to occupy a Theme Unit must submit online a Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) Form and a Theme Unit application, available on the Residence Life web site (http://www.cnu.edu/reslife/residencehalls/jamesriver/themeunits.asp ) to the Office of Residence Life, DSU 3rd floor, no later than 5:00pm, Monday, January 28, 2013. For more information contact Meghan Frum, Hall Director of James River Hall, at 757-643-7400 or meghan.frum@cnu.edu.

Note: Any Theme Unit not offered through the application process will be available for selection during the Lottery for individuals or groups.

Study Abroad

Students who are participating in a CNU sponsored study abroad program are offered housing upon their return to the University. Students studying abroad for the spring 2013 semester are eligible to participate in the Lottery if they have met all of the eligibility requirements:

  • Approved by the Office of Study Abroad and International Programs
  • Submitted the 2013-14 Contract Acceptance Form online by the Lottery deadline
  • A minimum housing deposit balance of $100.00

Students who will be participating in a fall 2013 study abroad program should not participate in the Housing Lottery. Upon returning in the spring 2014, fall 2013 study abroad students will be offered housing but the Office of Residence Life cannot guarantee where students will be placed nor can Residence Life hold a vacancy. Students wanting residential housing upon their return must submit a 2013-14 Contract Acceptance Form and $250.00 housing deposit no later than December 1, 2013 for priority placement.

Students planning to participate in a spring 2014 study abroad program can participate in the Lottery but will be required to vacate their space at the designated check-out date for the fall 2013 semester. Students are required to submit a Withdrawal from Residential Housing form to Office of Residence Life no later than December 1, 2013 to cancel their contract for the spring 2014 semester.

Remember: Students studying abroad who wish to be part of a group but will not be present during the room selection process must provide their CNU student ID number and PIN to the other group members so they can be added as part of the group during the room selection process.  

December 2013 Graduates

Students who will be graduating in December 2013 can participate in the Lottery, as long as they have met the eligibility requirements. They are required to submit a Withdrawal from Residential Housing form to the Office of Residence Life by December 1, 2013 in order to cancel their housing contract for the spring 2014 semester.

Mandatory Lottery Participation

Students who are required to live on-campus (rising 2nd and 3rd year) are required to participate in the 2013-14 Housing Lottery even if they think they may be transferring to another university. This is to ensure the student has a room for next year in the event he/she does not leave CNU.

Students required to live on-campus but do not select a room during the Lottery will be administratively placed in a space and the student will not be given the option to request a roommate or select a residence hall. These students will be assigned based on their classification and will be notified of their placement by the Office of Residence Life.

Students who are not required to live on campus (rising 4th year and above) and submit a Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form but do not select a room during the Lottery process, will be placed on a housing wait list and will be contacted as space becomes available.

Lottery Cancellation

Students who are not required to live on campus (exempt from the residency requirement) may cancel their Current Resident Upper Class Contract Acceptance (Lottery) form by submitting a Lottery Cancellation Request form. Students who have selected a room during the Lottery have until Thursday, March 28, 2013 to cancel their 2013-14 Contract Acceptance form and only forfeit their housing deposit. After March 28, 2013, students will be held accountable for the terms and conditions of the 2013-14 Housing and Dining Services Contract for the entire academic year unless they withdraw from the University.

Lottery Changes for 2013-2014

To allow the opportunity for room retention and to accommodate undergraduate students who wish to live on campus, the following changes were made to the 2013-2014 Lottery Guidelines:

  • Students on East Campus may retain their current units with more than 50% students remaining AND must fill their vacancy in the unit with another eligible student.
  • No overcrowds on either Main Campus or East Campus will be allowed. The University anticipates being able to accommodate students.
  • James River apartments and theme units are only available to 2nd year students.