On Monday, March 31, Residence Life released the 2014-15 housing application.

The housing contract for this upcoming year will be entirely online with new software that students have access to.

“We wanted to make the process more efficient and user friendly,” Elizabeth Swantek, director of residence life said. “This online environment will allow them to apply for housing, request a roommate, choose a roommate, put in a work order etc.”

Housing is based off of semesters on campus, GPA, credits and conduct records.

This year there was talk about the possibility of two new dorms to choose from; Barre Hall and Pearson Hall.

Unfortunately, Barre Hall, located on West River St., will not be utilized for the upcoming academic year.

Swantek adds, “We are looking at what specific population will benefit from living in this apartment environment (Barre Hall).”

Pearson Hall on Franklin St. was formerly known to house the nursing school. With the move of the Nursing Program to Stark learning Center, the university is planning on using the building to house students for residency next year in the style of mansion designed residence halls.

Pearson Hall is going to be part of a “block” of residence halls, including Evans, Roth, and Sturdevant Halls.

Eleven residence halls are designated to just freshmen; enrollment reports show an increase over the past few years of more on-campus living freshmen.

The rest of the residence halls are used to house the upperclassmen.

Residence halls range in style from traditional dorms to apartments and mansion style.

Important dates to know include April 11 for the last day to submit a housing application.

On April 22 is the Spuatting Lottery, for students keeping their current room but who might need a roommate.

For current students that want to stay in the same building, but change rooms on April 23 the Same House Lottery with be held.

Last, on April 24 and 25 is the Open Lottery for students that are moving from one hall into another. This lottery is designed where each student will have a time slot to select a new residence hall.

All applications for these lotteries and the main housing application are found online at http://www.wilkes.edu/pages/3683.asp.