Entering Penn State as a freshman, each student is guaranteed on-campus housing, but after the first year, it's the luck of the draw.

Though it's common knowledge that housing for second-, third- and fourth-year students is done through a lottery system, the shortage of contracts for the next academic year is appalling. More than 1,200 students have not received housing contracts for next fall, compared to only 14 from a year ago. Housing Assignment Office representatives attribute the increase to a higher demand for on-campus housing and construction in North Halls.

The argument that the housing shortage is caused by construction in North Halls is paper-thin. The dorms in North Halls were not occupied at all this year, yet only 14 students did not receive contracts for this year.

While students who expected to live on campus next year are scrambling to find available apartments and houses, the university has done nothing more than fill up available supplemental areas and place students on waiting lists.

In fact, Lynn DuBois, associate director of housing, said they were "surprised" about the demand and found it "disappointing" that they couldn't offer contracts to everyone who requested on-campus housing.

Surprising? What's surprising is that housing officials were not prepared for this demand.

Disappointing? What's disappointing is that was all the office could muster up in response to 1,200 students currently without a place to live for the fall.

It's understandable that students cannot be notified earlier because spaces need to be reserved for incoming freshmen, who continue to accept offers of admission well into the spring semester. However the university cannot just let its current students fall by the wayside. Perhaps housing officials should consider converting some of the rooms in Eastview Terrace to double-occupancy rooms to house displaced students, though that would probably affect the university's profit margin.

The university just doesn't seem to care how difficult it is to find housing in State College.

Perhaps Penn State officials consider that an angry phone call from a parent or two is all that the populace can muster.

But maybe they'd think twice once enrollment decreases and the word gets out that Penn State appears to have no regard for its students.

Most students who plan to live off campus for the following year begin real estate shopping in the fall semester, leaving those who wait until spring semester or don't receive housing contracts back in the boondocks.