As a result of an increased demand for on-campus housing, more than 1,200 students have not received a housing contract for next year -- a rise from only 14 who were not granted a contract for this year.

The online contract system, which allows students to request a housing contract through a lottery process, is ending this week as students are given final notification as to whether they were given a contract.

Kathy Krinks, assistant director of housing, said that all regular rooms have been filled.

Currently, housing is in the process of assigning supplemental room contracts, and about 400 students will be notified either tomorrow or Friday whether they received one of those contracts.

"Once we're done making offers, we will typically notify the students that the process is over," Krinks said. "Then we place them on an online contract waitlist that opens up to students beginning Feb. 6."

Students have three days after being given notice to accept or reject a contract offer. Once a student accepts the contract, he or she is obligated to fulfill the contract unless he or she transfers the contract to someone on the waitlist.

In addition to an increase in requests for contracts, Krinks said, current construction in North Halls has decreased the number of rooms available for student housing.

Kristen Kutz (freshman-English) said she was surprised when she learned that she was not granted a regular room contract for her sophomore year. Provided with only a supplemental contract, Kutz and her roommate have started looking for apartments downtown instead of accepting the contract.

"I really like campus, and I enjoy being on it," she said. "It's a lot more convenient getting to and from my classes so that I don't have to walk downtown, and I feel it's a little bit safer constantly being somewhere with all of the other students."

Lynn DuBois, associate director of housing, said the trend has been that about half of each class chooses to remain on campus each year, but priority must be given to first-year students who are required to live on campus. Typically, though, she said students have at least been granted a supplemental contract, but that is not the case for next year.

"We're surprised at the increase in demand for on-campus housing, and it certainly is disappointing to us that we can't offer contracts to everyone who is interested," DuBois said.

Joanna Witmer (freshman-human development and family studies) said she has not yet received a contract and doesn't anticipate that she will at this point. Although overwhelmed by the thought of moving off campus as a sophomore, Witmer said she would rather start looking for an apartment than live in supplemental housing.

"I do feel like it might be a little hard to find apartments, but one of our friends called yesterday, so we kind of had a little bit of a heads-up," Witmer said. "We're doing all right with the situation."