It isn't unusual for the folks over at N.C. Central University to spend part of their August shoehorning students into area hotels when demand for on-campus housing exceeds supply.
That's not happening this year, thanks to a philosophical shift in the way the university finds on-campus spots for students.
Until now, housing assignments were done on a first-come, first-serve basis and occasionally resulted in housing crunches like the NCCU had last year, when hundreds of students were placed in the Millennium Hotel for a semester.
But as the semester begins this week, NCCU will avoid a repeat of that scenario, said Chancellor Charlie Nelms. It will do so by placing a new emphasis on housing for freshmen; the university told returning students months ago that freshmen would be given priority, so older students may want to seek off-campus housing on their own, Nelms said.
NCCU set aside 2,400 beds, enough for all new freshman, and had about 1,000 more on campus for older students. The rest are expected to find other housing.
The emphasis on freshman housing is an attempt to ease the college transition and make sure those students stay in school to become sophomores, and juniors, and seniors, Nelms said.
"We know there's a connection between living on campus and student retention," he said. "And if you're on campus and walk down teh hall, you're likely to strike up a conversation. You have those serendipitous interactions that are really important."
Classes start today.
