Yolanda Walton, a sophomore English education major who has lived in the residence halls for two years was unable to get a room for next year when she went to sign up.

“I was really upset because I didn’t know where to live, and they told me to go find some place,” Walton said. “They should have let us know that there might be a chance we don’t get in.”

Walton, who was planning to move to Stevenson Towers, was forced to move to University Plaza, where she regrets that she will be unable to use her Huskie Bucks.

“This is the first year that we’ve actually turned students away during the selection process,” said Mike Stang, manager of residential administration for the office of Student Housing and Dining Services.

The students who were denied housing have been put on a waiting list and directed to the off-campus housing office, said David Dunlap, coordinator of marketing and public relations for the office of SHDS said.

University Plaza said they are willing to give one-semester leases for graduating students, Dunlap added.

The total capacity of the residence halls is 6,155.

This year, about 2,401 current residents have signed up for the residence halls for fall 2003. Last year, the number was around 2,601 students, Stang said.

“We’ve already over-contracted by about 200 beds,” Stang said. “It takes into account putting 25 students in the lounges at Lincoln and Douglas and 75 students at the [Holmes] Student Center in the beginning of the semester.”

About 3,500 spots have been reserved for freshmen and transfer students, Dunlap said.

Residential Administration makes the decision about how large of a block to reserve for incoming freshmen based on information from registration and records, Dunlap said.

“The best way to project is to track weekly [freshmen] applications,” Stang said. “It appears that we’ll have even more freshmen next year than we do now.”

Last year, there were about 3,000 new freshman, said Robert Burk, director of office of admissions.