Reservations for Arkansas State University's residence halls are now at or just past capacity for the fall semester, announced Dr. Rick Stripling, vice chancellor for student affairs at ASU.
Room reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Office of Residence Life has arranged for those who paid their room deposit last to live at Comfort Inn, at the university's expense, until there is space in the halls. Most of the latecomers are upperclassmen who are returning to school.
"Because of last-minute cancellations and reservations, the number of residents expected changes almost by the hour," Stripling said. "We will not know for sure until move-in day on Saturday how many beyond capacity we will have."
A similar situation occurred last year, but all affected individuals were moved to campus housing within two weeks because of vacancies that invariably occur after the start of school.
The ASU residence halls, including Arkansas Hall, Kays Hall, Northpark Quads, and University Hall, have a combined capacity of 2,276.
The Village, which is an apartment complex for students with families, also has a waiting list.
For those who might have to stay at Comfort Inn, transportation to campus is available on the local JETS bus system. Also, a resident assistant will be assigned on site to those students.
"In a sense, this is a good problem for us to have," noted Patrick Dixon, director of residence life. "However, we want to assure everyone affected that we will accommodate them in campus housing as quickly as possible."
The higher demand from upperclassmen who want to live on campus is part of the reason for a planned apartment complex for upperclassmen.
The apartments and a residence hall for The Honors College are in the design phase. Construction is estimated to be completed by fall of 2009.
ASU will begin classes on Monday, Aug. 20.
