The Department of Housing and Residential Education has abandoned its plan to stop reserving space for freshmen on North Campus next fall.

Larry Hicks, the department’s director, said confusion and complaints from students prompted the change.

“There were several questions that were raised and comments and concerns so we felt we had not fully vetted it as much as we should have,” Hicks said.

The change, which would have pushed 200 to 250 more freshmen from North Campus to South Campus next fall, was an attempt to encourage more upperclassmen to live on campus.

Housing officials have said the hundreds of unused beds in UNC’s residence halls cost the University more than $2 million. About 20 percent of the freshman class lives in rooms reserved for them on North Campus.

Hicks said the proposal will be reexamined in the spring as part of a previously scheduled discussion about the housing assignment process. The earliest that any changes to assignment could be implemented is fall 2013, he said.

“We just need to take a pause and roll it into the bigger conversation we’re going to have in the spring,” Hicks said.

Members of the Residence Hall Association were among those who complained about the sudden policy change.

Hans Peng, president of the RHA, said freshmen have expressed a desire to be able to live with upperclassmen on campus.

“Keep in mind that the (freshman) population is the biggest population, so their interests are very important,” he said.

Hicks said some miscommunication within the housing department resulted in an inaccurate news release being posted on the department’s website during the weekend. That release, which was removed within a few days, stated that all freshmen would be required to live on South Campus next year.

“By then, the issue had kind of gone a little bit viral on us,” Hicks said. The subsequent confusion and attention led to the change being withdrawn.

Landon Sherwood, community governor of Ehringhaus Community, said many residents were left confused by the change.

“A lot of people didn’t know about it, the reason behind it,” Sherwood said.

The change would have hindered freshmen’s ability to learn from upperclassmen, he said.

“I know on South Campus everyone’s a freshman so they don’t really know how to get involved,” Sherwood said.

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