Coronado Residence Hall, the UA’s largest residential complex, will be reverting 137 single-occupancy rooms back into double-occupancy rooms next semester in response to more housing applications, bringing the residence hall’s population back up to 800 residents, Residence Life officials said.

Jim Van Arsdel, director of Residence Life, said the rooms were reassigned as single-occupancy rooms in spring 2006 because fewer housing applications were received by that time.

The normal number of housing applications received is around 7,000 per year, but last spring, Residence Life had not received that many, Van Arsdel said.

“”We had the opportunity, we thought, and when we had the opportunity we’d take advantage of it,”” Van Arsdel said.

Residence Life ended up receiving the normal number of applications by the end of the summer, but the rooms had already been reassigned.

Over the summer, 200 students were told to make other housing arrangements for the year due to lack of space. It is unclear whether any student who applied for housing was unable to receive it because of the conversions.

The rooms were not changed architecturally when they were converted to singles. In most rooms, the extra furniture was not removed, leaving students with two beds and two desks.

The cost of a double-occupancy room in Coronado is $4,677 per person. A single-occupancy room in a hall that has similar rates to Coronado is $6,996. But the decision to convert the rooms from singles to doubles was not motivated by monetary reasons, Van Arsdel said.

Single-occupancy rooms are in demand among students living in residence halls, he said.

“”Singles are relatively popular, I think in part because a vast majority of our incoming students have never shared a bedroom with a sibling,”” Van Arsdel said. “”A large number have never shared a bathroom.””

But Residence Life representatives believe a double room has its benefits.

“”Having a roommate is a great experience,”” said Kara Curcio, complex director for Coronado.

“”Having a roommate is a great opportunity to learn to live with another person,”” Van Arsdel said. “”It’s generally in a student’s best interest to have a roommate because they learn more that way, I think.””