KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee said it's expecting a higher number of incoming freshmen next fall. With the increase, the university said on-campus housing will be limited and in high demand.
In order to accommodate continuing students on campus, UT said room selection eligibility will be determined through a weighted randomized lottery process that will include some favoring toward current first-year students.
One UT junior, Victoria Leichtman, started a petition to help reverse the room selection changes. She said it's hard to find any off-campus housing right now and rent is too high.
"This policy in place makes it to where housing is uncertain," Leichtman said. "The university keeps over accepting freshman after they have torn down dorms without building new ones causing a housing crisis."
More than 1,800 people have signed Leichtman's petition. One mother commented under the petition and said she's a single mother who can't afford off-campus housing as her daughter's scholarship and financial aid pay for her on-campus housing.
Other students agree the university's room changes won't help upperclassmen.
"UT has decided that having a record admittance every single year is more important than taking care of their students who already live on campus," UT student Emory Dinsmore said.
In part, the university said, "We have heard from many of you about housing plans for fall 2022, and we understand the concerns that students and families have shared with us. We are working to address those concerns, and our goal is to understand how many of our continuing students are interested in living on campus next year so we can do everything we can to accommodate our students’ on-campus housing needs."
The university said currently, UT has its highest amount of housing inventory, with more than 8,000 on-campus beds, which does not include Greek housing.
Leichtman said she wishes she had more support behind her university.
"The fact that my graduating class and the year below me has stayed with the university...paid full tuition...been here...to just feel completely disregarded by the end of it is just a big slap in the face," Leichtman said.
UT said it will continue to evaluate the number of requests received for on-campus housing to determine demand and plan accordingly for next fall.