Residential Life has made two major changes in housing availability to the 2010-11 housing priorities list and online registration instructions, which are now accessible to students.

For the on-campus apartments, registration will run from March 9 to 12, and all other campus sign-ups will take place between March 15 and 25.

According to Grace Hoefner, senior associate director of Residential Life, there are two changes that will be enacted for the upcoming registration.

First, Chenango Hall of Newing College will only house returning students and will contain all paid singles.

Hoefner said this option was made so that “students who want a single but like living in a traditional residence hall and don’t want to move to the apartment communities will have this as an option for next year.”

Applications for Chenango Hall’s paid singles and break housing — which is offered in Mohawk Hall of College-in-the-Woods, Windham Hall of Mountainview College, Lehman Hall of Hinman College and Whitney and Champlain Halls, both of Dickinson Community — are to be filled out on paper. The forms can be found at reslife.binghamton.edu, and they must be submitted to the Office of Residential Life in the Tuscarora Office Building.

For paid singles in Chenango Hall and for break housing, applications are due March 11 and March 4, respectively.

Another change will involve the eight-person apartments in Hillside Community, which previously consisted of four single bedrooms and two double bedrooms.

“In the past, the eight-person apartments have not been that popular because most people want to move to the apartments because they want a single bedroom,” Hoefner said.

Therefore, ResLife has eliminated the eight-person apartments and made them into apartments that will have four regular singles and two super-singles, which were the former double rooms. The super-singles will be equipped with a double bed and will cost almost $300 more a semester compared to the other Hillside singles.

Students who have paid their $200 deposit can begin the process of signing up for on-campus housing by agreeing to the University Housing License on reslife.binghamton.edu.

They can then form groups with prospective roommates and/or suitemates, as well as view which housing priorities they fall into.

Once a group makes a housing selection, it is binding for all members of the group and changes will not be permitted, according to the instructions.

Students who plan to stay on campus next year said they enjoy the ease of being so close to their classrooms and friends.

“The closeness to everything is definitely a plus, and the corridor setup makes it more social,” said Dan Aki, an undeclared freshman and resident of Dickinson. “It really feels like a second home.”

Mike Ulanski, a resident assistant in Delaware Hall of Newing, echoed Aki about the positive social aspects of living on campus.

“The benefit of staying on campus is quickly getting to your classes and a lot of opportunity to socialize on campus, which you don’t really get when you live off campus or in University Plaza,” said Ulanski, a junior majoring in biology.

Hoefner strongly recommends attending one of the information sessions Wednesday or Sunday, which organizers hope will clarify doubts about the priorities and answer any questions about housing registration.

To access a list of frequently asked questions and the complete rules for housing registration, visit reslife.binghamton.edu.