Murray Edwards College Room Draw 2013-2014

What is the Room Draw?

The Room Draw is the mechanism by which undergraduate College Rooms are allocated. It is managed by the Accommodation Manager, Mrs Pauline Walker, and the Rooms Tutor, Nicola Cavaleri, with the assistance of MECSU.

Room Draw information and notices are posted in the main walkway and outside the Accommodation Office in the basement of Pearl House.

All queries should be addressed to the Rooms Tutor, Nicola Cavaleri ().

How does the Room Draw work?

Students are placed in the following categories and are eligible for rooms in this ranking order:

1)Current JCR President and Vice President; current 2nd and 3rd year students sharing a room;

2)Current 2ndand 3rd year students living out. In this context, living out means renting in the private sector, NOT those in College houses.

3)All other 2nd year students.

4)All other 3rd year students on 4-year courses (i.e., Engineers and Natural Scientists).

5)All 1st year students.

A room is defined as a single or shared room, with or without en-suite facilities, in College-owned or College-rented buildings on or off site, depending on the location and category of the room. The room categories are based on 1) the size of the room, 2) whether or not the room is a modern/refurbished or dated/non-refurbished room, 3) whether or not the room has en-suite facilities. The categories of rooms in external

College houses also take the shared facilities into consideration.

A number of rooms are reserved for those students who are exempt from the Room Draw:

a) Students with special needs/disabilities

b) Students studying Music who require a piano and space for instruments in their room; and

c) Students returning from abroad.

Timetable of Events

Wednesday 23 January / Posting of students’ ranking order in categories for the draw;
Room chart and room information available.
Wednesday 6 February, 5pm / Deadline for requests:
-to share a room
-to form a group
-to declare medical conditions
-to email corrections
-to request not to participate in the Room Draw
Friday 22 February / Student list for the Room Draw finalised and posted.
Schedule for room sign up circulated.
Monday 4 – Thursday 7 March / Sign-up for rooms in person in Accommodation Office
Monday 25 March, 5pm / Students will be charged if they sign up for a room in the Room Draw and then decide that they do not want the room after this date

Signing up Procedure

You are responsible for signing up for a room at the time specifically assigned to you according to your ranking order between March 4 and 7, 2013. The only exception to this will be if you are hospitalised (a medical/hospital certificate will be required) and you cannot attend in person. In this unlikely event every effort will be made to accommodate your needs. The schedule of appointments will be posted in the main hallway, in the Accommodation Office and emailed out by February 22, 2013.

Please note you can nominate another person to sign up for you if you cannot attend in person:

1)You can email the Rooms Tutor () to inform her that someone else is signing up for you or bring written authorisation for the person to sign up on your behalf and in each case (email or letter) indicate which room(s) for which you wish to sign up. Please give the person 3 choices of rooms in case your first choices are not available by the time the person comes to sign up.

If you have problems with either coming in person or nominating someone to attend your appointment on your behalf, please email the Rooms Tutor ().

The signing up procedure is as follows:

1)You will be able to access information on the rooms available and the room chart in the Accommodation Office and via documentation sent to you via email.

2)You (or the person you have nominated to come on your behalf) must come in person to the Accommodation Office at your scheduled time to sign up for a room on the room chart. During your appointment, you need to state your 1st choice of room choice (please have a 2nd and 3rd choice in mind in case your 1st choice has already been allocated in the draw) and sign an Accommodation register which is the formal record of your signing in process and the room you have chosen and been allocated.

3)If you fail to attend your designated appointment or nominate someone to attend in your place, you will forfeit your ranking and have to sign up for a room at the time at which you present yourself.

Sharing a room

There are 20 rooms in college available that are specifically designed to be shared by two people.

For those who opt to share a room, it means a lower rent and priority in next year’s Room Draw. It is especially ideal for current 1st year students who wish to be at the top of next year’s room draw and guarantee having the best rooms in College in their final year. If you are low on the Room Draw list, it is definitely the best option to consider. The shared rooms will all have 2 data points, one for each student, adequate storage space for each student and lower utility rates.

Students wishing to share a room should let the Rooms Tutor know by the deadline of Wednesday 6 February 2013, 5pm.

Forming a group

Students can form themselves into groups of up to 4. This allows you to sign up for your rooms at the same time making it more likely you can live together. The deadline for forming groups is Wednesday 6 February 2013, 5pm. All students in the group must sign up at the same time. The ranking of the group is the mean of the individual rankings.

Students who will be out of residence next year

You MUST enter the Room Draw even though you will be going abroad (this does not include MML and AMES students). Your room will be allocated to an exchange student coming to Murray Edwards for the year in your place.

Students who are currently out of residence

Students who are currently out of residence because they are on a year abroad will be exempt from the Room Draw and contacted about room allocations by the Rooms Tutor by email. Students returning to College after being out of residence for a year on grounds of ill health will be contacted by the Rooms Tutor about room allocations.

Students who require specific rooms for medical reasons

If you require a room for a specific medical condition when entering the Room Draw, you must make your application for the room via the College nurse and/or your Tutor who will then forward your application to the Rooms Tutor. If yours is a continuing medical condition and a medical letter is already on file for you in College, you do not need to obtain a new medical letter. However, if you are reporting a new medical condition to your Tutor, a medical letter is required for your application to the Rooms Tutor.

This request must be doneEVERY YEARand must be done PRIOR TO THEROOM DRAW. The deadline for the Rooms Tutor to receive applications requiring a room for a specific medical condition is Wednesday 6 February 2013, 5pm.

No applications for specific rooms for prior medical conditions will be considered after the Room Draw has taken place.

However, in the event of a student suffering from a new medical condition that requires a specific room after the Room Draw has taken place please apply as above.

Room Changes & Room Cancellations

You will be charged the equivalent of half a term’s rent if you sign up for a room in the Room Draw and then decide that you do not want the room after 25 March 2013, 5pm, unless medical or academic circumstances inhibit your return the following academic year in which case evidence would need to be provided.

Room Draw Info 23 Jan 2013