The demand for on-campus housing may not have been a "hunger games" scenario like last year at the University of Guelph.
But with a housing crunch in the city, and future housing options unknown, U of G is turning to students and the community as part of its effort to develop a student housing strategy.
A student survey and focus groups will be held over the next couple weeks.
Graduate and undergraduate students will participate in the survey "to assess current and future housing needs and identify additional housing-related issues."
Surveys were issued over the summer, and 400 students responded.
The university wants to triple that with this survey.
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2022-23, 5,150 first-year students applied to live in campus housing, which was more than the supply, leaving students looking for alternatives.
This year, the waiting list is empty and 40 vacant spaces are available in student residences. U of G spokesperson Deirdre Healey said the focus is on getting interested students the rooms in question.
"This includes students arriving for the winter 2024 semester, incoming exchange students and students ending their co-op term and returning to campus to continue their classes," she said in an emailed statement.
"We expect to complete this process in the next few weeks. If we still have spaces available in our residences, we plan to use them for our commuter residence program."
That program is designed for students and potentially faculty who commute, and need a short-term stay. Commuters can reserve a room for up to three consecutive nights.
The hope is to launch the commuter residence program later this fall.
The university has also increased its effort to create residence spaces, including the leasing of the former Days Inn property on Gordon Street.
But as it looks to the future, it is hoping the study will help identify future student housing needs, and more long-term solutions can be figured out.
