HFS re-launches housing-registration Web site

Kayla Webley
2004-04-15
The Daily

It took Housing and Food Services (HFS) a week to tackle technical problems keeping their new online housing-registration program, Webroomz, off the Internet. Re-launching the site Tuesday afternoon, HFS is still working out slow refresh rates and a limited number of log-on slots, but is pleased students can now use the service.

According to Vennie Gore, associate director of housing for HFS the system started taking applications at 4 p.m. Tuesday. The problem was a response to bugs in the system and the number of applicants.

"We are working through some of the technical problems that we are having," said Gore. "We have had some problems with people logging on and the system is having problems holding the sheer volume of people."

HFS first launched the web site March 29, Gore said. Since then, the site has crashed three times.

The new system allows returning students to find housing on their own, including roommates, rather than sending an application to HFS and hoping their preferences are available.

"It's self service, versus in the past what we have done is you fill out the application saying I have [a certain] person I want to live with and we would then match you up and find a space, so we would do all the work," said Gore. "This way, that is all in the control of the students, which is different from the way it has been done in the past."

According to Gore, students first log on and complete the online application and payment process, then fill out an interest survey with approximately 20 categories. This information is then used to match compatible roommates.

"The computer does a search and it matches up people of similar interest and then the student is able to create a blanket e-mail name to add privacy and they are able to have an online chat to determine whether or not they'd be interested in rooming together," said Gore.

The next step in the process lets students reserve the room of their choice.

"[Students] get their reservation date, and then when they go online. It is like choosing your seat in an airplane," he said. "If you want a double room you would be given a list of double rooms that are available at that given time."

HFS has received a wide range of feedback from students regarding the new system.

"Some of the feedback [is] that [students] like the idea of the system and being able to go on and create their account, but we have also heard feedback that the system is slow," said Gore. "We have heard both good and bad feedback."

The UW looked at the success of smaller schools that implemented a similar version of this system.

"We saw the success and we felt that it would be a very good product," said Gore. "We then entered into a co-development process, so that their program would fit our needs."