Near the end of March 2017, Brock Commons – the student residence of Tallwood House – incorrectly assigned year-round housing’s waitlist numbers to approximately 475 students. The problem was corrected and notified to students in a broadcast email by March 29.
As described in a r/UBC subthread called “Does anyone know what the heck is going on with Brock Commons?” some students received “the exact same waitlist number.” Others “[jumped] up hundreds of spots” after the correction.
According to Andrew Parr, managing director of Student Housing & Hospitality Services (SHHS), the problem was caused by a programming glitch that excluded the residence’s waitlisted students from the overall system. He also attributed the problem to Brock Commons’s newness, since it was the only residence with this technical error.
“It’s a brand new facility and I guess the system didn’t pick up,” said Parr. “We have rectified this issue for the future – the future being the next time we have a new building, particularly a year-round building.”
Currently, about 375 of the students who applied to Brock Commons still have not received year-round housing.
According to Parr, applicants’ exposure to the problem and their likelihood of getting an offer depend on several factors. Two leading determinants are when the students applied and whether Brock Commons is listed as their only choice. Their preference of the start date also has an influence.
“The students who are the most impacted are those who applied quite late anyway and those who limited their preferences,” he said. “Those who have different preferences could go into the system and update them.”
Some students seem unimpressed by the situation.
“UBC Housing & Food uses and abuses students for money with no regard for the consequences,” commented Carson Debert, a second-year arts student, on the Facebook post for an article by The Ubyssey. “100’s of students just got screwed out of Brock Commons (myself included) and it feels like there’s absolutely no recourse or justice for us.”
Others are seeking clarification on the situation by going directly to SHHS’s administration area or emailing the service. Parr estimated that there have been “a lot of correspondence directly with some individual students and more broadly with all” impacted students.
“A number of these students will be made an offer in other residences between now and the start of the school year in September,” said Parr regarding potential solutions. “Some students are only looking for accommodation in the summer, and we do have summer housing at Fairview.”
He added that information about alternative options – such as sublets or off-campus housing – is also available on SHHS’s website.
“The demand for year-round housing is significant,” said Parr. “Our waitlist for year-round housing is greater than our waitlist for sessional housing. We are fully occupied at the contract period with a growing number of students on the waitlist. It’s an ongoing challenge for students for sure."