Although this year's housing lottery process is finally coming to an end, assignment office administrators are already planning changes for next year's lottery that would focus on improving the mechanics of the process.

"There are definitely things we need to look at," said Kathy Krinks, manager of the assignment office.

Foremost on the drawing board is the plan to move the entire process to the Internet in order to make applying easier for students.

"The big change will be getting the whole process online," Krinks said.

By posting the computerized housing contracts online rather than requiring students to submit a paper copy, the assignment office hopes to eliminate students' confusion and worry. Similar to scheduling Penn State courses online, students would be assigned various "scheduling days" in which they could submit their contracts.

"It would be made available to students in a sequential order," Krinks said.

The assignment office is also considering changing the priority of housing requests due to the high demand of sophomore student requests. If implemented, sophomores would have a better opportunity to secure a campus housing contract. Incoming freshman, however, would still take first priority Krinks said. "Freshmen would always have their space reserved," she said.

Through increased marketing efforts, the university intends to keep parents better informed next year about the different stages of the housing lottery process. The assignment office will also focus on better-educating commonwealth students and those students who are new spring semester about the assignment process. Krinks said the commonwealth students did not feel they were fully informed this year.

"That created some aggravation," she said.

Finally, the assignment office would like to speed up the time in which students receive notification of contract reception or denial.

Although the assignment office is discussing many changes to improve and prepare for the second year of the housing lottery, some students still feel that the old assignment process was fairer.

"I don't think it's (the lottery) the most efficient system they could use," said Kurt Miller (freshman-finance).

Miller was originally denied a contract, but has since been assigned to supplemental housing.

Jessica Bailor (junior-early child education) said, "I still think the first-come, first-serve process the way they had it before was better."

She and her roommate both received supplemental housing contracts through the lottery, but have now been assigned to a permanent space in Nittany Apartments.

Overall, however, the assignment office thought the new lottery was very successful. Of the initial 700 students without housing, 400 put their names on the waiting list. Only 75 students of the 400 are still waiting for a contract.

The staff also worked to accommodate supplemental-turned-permanent contract students by sending them "change cards." Unlike the permanent contract, the original supplemental contract did not include a space for living requests. By filling out the "change cards," supplemental students were allowed to request a roommate, living area and building.