Talking Stick - January/February 2009 - (Page 36)

Assessing AssignmenTs The righT Tool for The Job Whether it comes out-of-the-box or from in-house development, software is becoming an invaluable part of the assignments process. by Emily Glenn Editor’s Note: The companies and products cited in the following article are by no means the only housing software providers, and their appearance here does not imply endorsement by ACUHO-I. Refer to the searchable ACUHO-I online directory to find companies that provide assignments software and services. Assignments – the business of filling rooms, managing space considerations, matching roommates, and facilitating mid-year move-ins, move-outs, and room changes – is common to each institution that offers housing. There seem to be as many ways of managing these processes as there are residential institutions. While a number of schools still rely on a paper- and human-based system for assignments processes – particularly roommate matching – many have moved to software-driven solutions. We talked to representatives at a number of institutions who shared their stories of implementing these systems and offered advice to those considering a similar change. While we didn’t have space for every example, rest assured that all their input helped inform this story. Johnson & Wales University (Providence, Rhode Island) Tara Leamy, Associate Director of Housing and Operations be exchanged between the two. StarRez was also chosen for its administrative capabilities: “Within seconds, we can target a particular subgroup of resident students or all resident students using StarRez’s reporting and e-mail functions to not only communicate housing information, but also department- or even university-wide information, events, or deadlines,” says Leamy. Students were introduced to the system in several ways: “We rolled this process out to our returning students in multiple ways, including offering demos at department housing fairs, step-bystep instructions on our Web site and within the system itself, and assistance over the phone.” Both staff and students seem to like putting the choice in the students’ hands. “This eliminates much of the guess work that we used to do when trying to match students with the right hall or the right roommate.” doUg dUn/Bar architects At Johnson & Wales, the staff relies on StarRez to handle online applications and student-led room selection as well as administrative functions. The campus moved quickly to change its assignment process, selecting StarRez, implementing the system, and going live in a “little over a year.” StarRez interfaces with Banner, the university’s main database, so data can The Stevenson Apartments (l) and the Porter Apartments (r) on UC, Santa Cruz’s campus. 3 Talking STick

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - January/February 2009

Talking Stick - January/February 2009 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Special Focus Calendar Assessing Assignments On Your Honor Conversations First Takes Reporting Out Welcome Snapshot

Talking Stick - January/February 2009

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