As the spring semester nears the halfway point, the office of Resident Life and Student Housing is gearing up for housing enrollment for the 2005-2006 school year.

RLSH plans a series of upgrades over the summer to make life in the halls easier and more convenient, according to RLSH Director of Apartments and Leasing Jennifer Post.

“We are going to upgrade the Ethernet ports in all of the halls so they will be faster and more dependable. There will also be a wireless Internet overlay in all halls for next year.”

Housing reapplication packets will be delivered to all halls next Monday, and Post says that the process has been simplified since last year.

“In the past we’ve done the housing appointments, but this year you can come by the RLSH office whenever it’s convenient for you.”

RLSH is also opening up more space in all halls, especially in ones that have been competitive for spots in recent years.

“If you come to the housing expo, then you should get into the hall you want,” Post said.

The Housing Expo will be held March 30 in the Hughes-Trigg Ballroom. At that event, students can be locked into the hall of their choice. In-hall Renewal takes place on March 22 for those who wish to remain in their current hall. The SMU Apartment Lottery will take place over two days on March 29 and 30.

For those students who wish to skip through the long lines of the Housing Expo, RLSH is introducing the “Fast Pass.” Students can come to the RLSH office and fill out the application and sign the housing contract, beginning now and up through March 29. If they do so, then they receive a “Fast Pass” and can skip the paperwork station at the Housing Expo.

“It’s just another way of speeding up the process and making it easier on everyone,” said Post.

Students can read more about the housing process online at smu.edu/housing/reapp.asp or visit RLSH offices on the west side of first floor Boaz.