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Give new students ?rst pick: Freshmen and sophomores should be given ?rst preference for on-campus residences

If the lack of on-campus housing becomes an issue, the housing department should implement a lottery for upperclassmen and graduate students who want to live on campus.

By 2012, Odum Village likely will not meet fire code regulations, which means its more than 400 students will have to be put elsewhere. Right now, it looks like this place will be Granville Towers.

Living on campus is a popular option, with more than 51 percent of UNC students living on campus.

If the number of students that want to live on campus exceeds the number of available spots, then younger students will be given priority, said Rick Bradley, assistant director of the Office of Housing and Residential Education.

And this is how it should be.

Once freshmen and sophomores are provided on-campus housing, remaining graduate students and seniors should be placed in a lottery system for the remaining rooms.

If these upperclassmen and graduate students don’t get the on-campus housing they are looking for, they can get assistance looking for off-campus housing from UNC’s housing department.

The department has recently taken on the responsibility of helping students who are thinking about living off campus decide among the myriad choices.

Thus far, the housing department has done a decent job of preparing itself for the rise of students living on campus.

“There are a lot of scenarios that could play out,” Bradley said. “So we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve.

But younger students should certainly be given priority to on-campus housing.

When a student leaves home, the idea of living off-campus in another town can be daunting.

On-campus housing offers the convenience and comfort that allow younger students to concentrate on academics, instead of having to worry about things like bills and dealing with landlords.

While on-campus housing issues might not be an immediate problem, being prepared for on-campus growth certainly can’t hurt.

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