About Room Changes

There is usually an “open room change” period each quarter, generally beginning in the third or fourth week of the quarter and lasting about four weeks, space permitting.  Open room change period will be publicized by signage in the halls and at each front desk.  Open room change period may be suspended for all students, students of one gender or the other, or for particular halls if there are not enough vacant spaces, if there are students still living in “overflow” temporary assignments, or for other special circumstances.  When open room change does occur, students apply to the hall(s) where they would like to live by picking up applications at those desks and returning them there.  Residence coordinators (RCs) notify all applicants of the approval or denial of their request in writing.  Room change approval notices include detailed instructions for making the move to the new space.  Except in cases of "overflow" reassignments, students are responsible to move their own belongings.

Outside of open room change time, room changes are viewed as a last resort.  Managing conflict, compromising, and adapting to situations are important skills for students to develop.   RCs have the ability to make administrative changes for emergency circumstances or in circumstances where all parties have made a legitimate effort to build a successful relationship and no other reasonable resolution can be identified.  Room changes are only granted in response to behavioral situations, not on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, ability, or other dimensions of diversity.

Finally, if you have any roommate-related issues, the first person to discuss them with is your roommate.  Open, respectful communication goes a long way to resolving most problems.  After that, the first resource is the floor’s resident advisor (RA), the peer leader.  He or she will assist by mediating the conflict and often by re-negotiating the roommate agreement.  If those measures prove unsuccessful, the next step is to meet with the RC of the hall for additional help.

For those students wishing to move to a single room, the Office of Housing and Food Services maintains a singles waiting list.  Contact UChousing@uc.edu  for more information on the singles wait list process