31 Comments
The answer, as six unlucky CU students will probably soon find out, is perhaps a lot more than $200. One Bwog tipster (and probably dozens of other students with decent lottery numbers) received an email from a group calling themselves “Columbia Students.” The email proposed an Old-Timey Barter in which housing lottery numbers would be swapped in order for “Columbia Students” to secure a coveted East Campus suite with 6 singles. The email reads:
“Obviously, we know that there would be no reason for you to help us out, but we were hoping that with monetary compensation some of you would consider a swap. We would be able to get 6 good rooms in Broadway (or very possibly a 6-person suite in EC with 4 singles and 1 double), so if you are interested in swapping rooms/suite for a decent monetary compensation (at least $200 per person, but price is completely negotiable)”
Parties interest in swapping lottery numbers should email the (endearingly utilitarian) Gmail address provided: cu.housing.seniors@gmail.com
Full email after the jump
Hey guys,
This may seem random but we’ll get straight to the point. We are a group of 6 seniors going into suite selection with a terrible housing number – and you are a group of 6 seniors with a good housing number. We are assuming that you guys are planning on signing up for an EC suite of 6 singles. In short, due to special circumstances among our friends, we are extremely eager to obtain an EC suite as well. We talked to housing and they said that groups of 6 can swap other groups of 6 after housing registration is over. Obviously, we know that there would be no reason for you to help us out, but we were hoping that with monetary compensation some of you would consider a swap. We would be able to get 6 good rooms in Broadway (or very possibly a 6-person suite in EC with 4 singles and 1 double), so if you are interested in swapping rooms/suite for a decent monetary compensation (at least $200 per person, but price is completely negotiable), please email us back and we will talk more about details. Also, please email back ASAP, because this is a very time-sensitive issue. Thank you for your time.
-Columbia Students
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31 Comments
@what up I wouldn’t call them sore losers because clearly, anybody in their situation would want better housing. What’s wrong with trying to look for ways out instead of just accepting it? They’re just aggressive in what they want.
@Northrop If you have the money, you deserve to live in luxury. Only poors belong in Wien.
JHN the III
@not only poors... but also your mother
@guide-to-living “If you offer or solicit a room for reward or gain, your swap or transfer will be voided and you will be subject to Dean’s discipline.”
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/housing/docs/guide-to-living/policies/rooms.html#N400F4
@meh lots of people buy and sell housing for cash…
http://columbia.collegewikis.com/index.php?title=Any_rising_sr_willing_to_house_w_rising_jrs_-_will_be_compensation
that person even left a note of their UNI:
http://columbia.collegewikis.com/index.php?title=Any_rising_sr_willing_to_house_w_rising_jrs_-_will_be_compensation&action=history
@123 ” In short, due to special circumstances among our friends, we are extremely eager to obtain an EC suite as well”
I’d be interested to know what the ‘special circumstances’ are. Every group of 6 seniors is eager to live in EC
@beware you can’t swap rooms with people not in your grade. true story.
@curious How did the housing lottery work before computers?
@They put all the seniors in a cage with Roaree. The one least maimed got a Watt single.
@i'm pretty sure You literally drew a number out of a box.
@seriously? Probably the same way most mathematical things did. With pencil and paper. I’m sure everyone filled out a form and some luckless housing employee went through them all to register the preferences. they could have used a random number table or a box draw to do the actual selections.
@... i never played oregon trail. i did play sierra online’s gold rush though… that game was awesome…
@nonono the admin has been pretty adamantly against this in the past – commoditizing the housing lottery will lead to everyone being forced to pay something, and those who are unwilling/unable being sorted downward. the lottery exists because it’s cruel, but at least indiscriminate.
@fedjk soreloserman
@ridiculous i hope no one takes their offer. these six students are sore losers.
@random woah, woah… I didn’t realize that the housing lottery was a game…
@no... …they’re capitalists.
@meh What’s wrong with buying/selling housing? Victimless crime, and poor students like me get $$$ to pay for dinner, while rich students get the pads they want. No harm done.
I’m all in favor.
@would create a class hierarchy. ie, rich kids willing to pay a lot with good places, the commoners with wien singles.
it would a terrible idea to let people buy and sell housing numbers.
@ttan Funnily enough, when Hartley and Wallach were first built in the early 1900s, then-President Nicholas Murray Butler insisted that larger (more expensive) rooms be interspersed with smaller (cheaper) rooms so that Columbia College would be a true exercise in democracy by housing richer students with poorer ones.
@anonymous OMG, a class hierarchy. Welcome to reality.
Of course, most people at the top of the hierarchy here prefer to live off campus – so much excellent housing in NYC.
@Pigeon So maybe peer pressure is the only way to get a swap without buying or selling.
@Yeah Either that or sexual favors.
@we could call it head for housing
@awesome really looking forward to seeing where this goes.
@URH rules Rules are:
1. You can swap.
2. You can’t buy or sell.
3. If there is buying or selling involved, you lose housing rights for the rest of your Columbia stay.
There was a fairly active secondary market in lotteries in the late-80s-to-mid-90s (mainly seniors who would sell off their housing, move off campus, pocket the profit)
@WOAH Bwog, is that like the 1982 version of Oregon Trail??
@mauve the email says that housing approves.
@Umm How would it be possible to swap housing numbers without Housing finding out? I don’t think you can do that.
@The email says “We talked to housing and they said that groups of 6 can swap other groups of 6 after housing registration is over.”
@Pigeon I would consider swapping my 10/1800+ (for something better than 10/500) for some big time cash along the lines of hundreds upon hundreds.