Students who are currently studying abroad at a Stanford program will receive their housing assignments for winter quarter on Nov. 19. This year, many students are nursing high hopes of receiving prime assignments. There are an unusual number of desirable spots opening on the row due to the re-opening of Durand and the moving of Durand staff out Xanadu and 680. Although these events might provide more prime housing than is usual for winter quarter returnees, students coming back from abroad might be surprised at exactly how many of these spots have already been snapped up, a problem that may threaten the very foundations of Stanford’s housing system.

Before housing is assigned to returning students, it is generally first assigned to another type of student — the crafty or difficult student, depending on whom you ask. Termination of Occupancy Cards (TOC’s) were due on Oct. 27. This means that on this date, the Housing Assignments Office knew the majority of spots that would be open for students wishing to get housing for the winter. This also means that students who were on the look-out knew about these openings as well. One such student, Merrit Baer, used this knowledge to his advantage and will live in Xanadu this winter.

Baer, a senior currently living in Haus Mitteleuropa, said he believes that “there are ways of getting housing that don’t involve going through the draw. I don’t think those ways are cheating. I think that they are part of the system.”

This is a valid point. Although the policies surrounding housing assignment at Stanford strive to be fair, a few particularly driven students seems to always find a way to get assigned to top-housing in a manner which other, less savvy, students might consider less than just.

Case in point: the Housing Assignments Office guarantees housing for every student for all four years that they are on campus. Technically, the policy is as follows: “A guarantee constitutes a pledge of housing only if you apply for housing by May 14, 2006 [for the 2006-2007 academic year] and are willing to live in any residence for which you are eligible. You must select ‘assign me to any residence for which I am eligible’ as your final choice on your application in the Draw in order to be guaranteed an assignment by the end of the first week of classes for any given quarter.” This policy was developed to make sure that every undergraduate student has a place to live. However, if one were so motivated, one could in fact get better housing by taking a gamble and foregoing the Guaranteed Housing Plan.

If a student received a terrible draw number, he could avoid living in Burbank by listing only the most desirable housing as his top eight preferences. By not checking the “assign me to any residence for which I am eligible” box, he would most likely not be assigned to any housing and added to the waiting list. This student would receive a higher spot on the waiting list than students who had done a non-Stanford program and wanted to return to the Farm in the fall, as well as be placed higher than students who had refused their housing assignments previously. Over the summer, the student would wait to receive the results of his waiting list assignment. Waiting list assignments are typically wild cards — the spaces that open up may run the gamut from Serra to Jerry. If the student is still not satisfied with his assignment, he can even reject his waiting list assignment and enter the walk-in pool, in which case he again is placed as a high-priority student. Walk-ins are a gamble, but one that if you don’t really need Stanford housing, might be worth the risk.

Housing roulette is just one avenue that motivated students can go down to try and get the housing that they want. If all else fails, there are always allergies, specific food needs and old sport injuries to pave the way into the disability draw, even after the official disability deadline has long-passed.

The problem with students finding creative ways to get the housing they want is that it threatens the entire housing assignment process. After all, our housing system works because it is based on acceptance of the (at times suspect) randomness of the draw. Whether you are given a 35 or a 2850, Stanford housing works because you accept your fate. The minute that more than a small minority chooses to exploit the loopholes in the system is the minute that our system breaks down. Perhaps this small minority will never become large enough to merit a change in the system. Perhaps the number of people who care about their housing enough to explore alternate avenues for assignment is quite small. These individuals do not seem to currently disrupt the system. But, if this group of people continues to grow, the housing system at Stanford may indeed be in trouble.