Thirty students were placed in temporary housing this weekend, a figure that is lower than in previous years due to early Residence Life planning and the completion of residence hall renovations.

Residence Life Director Jim Van Arsdel said in order to accommodate as many students as possible this year, Residence Life officials considered the number of housing applications received and compared them to the number of last year’s “”no shows.””

Officials then used a buffer number to determine the number of students who could be placed on a waiting list.

To avoid overbooking, Residence Life stopped taking housing applications after reaching the target number of available rooms, Van Arsdel said.

“”We had to turn down 200 students in June because we wanted to give those students ample time to make other housing arrangements,”” Van Arsdel said.

The new formula reduced the number of temporary housing assignments from 2005, when 200 students were put on a wait list and placed in rooms with resident assistants for weeks. The situation angered students, parents and resident assistants.

In past years, Residence Life also put students in hotels and converted study lounges into rooms to accommodate everyone.

This year, however, all female students on a housing wait list were fully accommodated while 30 male students were placed in temporary living arrangements, Van Arsdel said.

In addition to prudent planning, Van Arsdel said the renovations in Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall, which began May 14, are “”essentially done,”” a factor that contributed to the lower temporary housing figures.

The Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall underwent major plumbing renovations, including replacement of all pipes and fixtures in the dormitory, Van Arsdel said.

Construction on the dormitory slowed when workers had to use elevators to remove tons of rubble from the building.

“”It was a major undertaking,”” Van Arsdel said. “”We were only able to complete the construction with a very aggressive building schedule.””

Students from this year’s incoming freshman class said they were pleased with their residence halls.

“”The whole orientation process was real smooth,”” said Barry DeRose, a microbiology freshman. “”I think this dorm (Arizona-Sonora) is one of the better dorms on campus.””

Barry DeRose’s father, Jerry, was impressed by the modernity of the residence halls.

“”The dorms are a hell of a lot nicer than the dorms that I lived in when I was in college,”” Jerry DeRose said. “”And it has a great atmosphere.””

Other improvements to the Arizona-Sonora Residence Hall were the addition of flat-screen TVs, a couple of pool tables and several exercise machines.

The renovated lobby also has conference rooms to accommodate study groups and a new bar area in the lounge.

Hanford Kwong, a molecular and cellular biology sophomore, said he plans on honing his geometry skills on the new pool tables.

“”The new lobby looks great and I’m excited to live here,”” Kwong said.