By Michael Naughton

With West Campus buildings G and H set to open next fall, making 500 new beds available for students, Northeastern will guarantee housing for middlers beginning in the upcoming academic year.

Student Government Association Vice President for Student Services Nicole Martino was a member of the housing task force that helped make the decision for the middler year guarantee. She said the proposal was in the planning stages for two months while “all the facts and figures were looked at so the guarantee could be figured out.”

Martino said she felt the decision could be beneficial for the university in more than one way.

“I think the [decision] is a positive one for the university overall,” Martino said. “[The guarantee] can help enrollment by helping more students decide to come to Northeastern now that housing is guaranteed for three years instead of two.”

Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier said the new guarantee will be beneficial to middlers and all new and incoming students.

“I think it’s a great thing for middlers especially,” Klotzbier said. “We thought this would enhance the student experience.”

The middler year guarantee is not only attractive for prospective students, but also to sophomores.

“I planned on living on campus next year,” said Steve Molloy, a sophomore business major, “so the guarantee made me feel more reassured.”.

Next year’s juniors and seniors do not have to worry about losing seniority to the middlers, said Associate Dean of Housing Services Marina Iannalfo.

Iannalfo said the lottery system will not change with the new guarantee and that seniors will still get the highest lottery numbers.

“We are committed to the same level as before,” Iannalfo said. “We do not plan to take anything away from juniors or seniors in terms of housing.”

Upperclassmen are also reassured by the guarantee, stating seniority as their driving factor.

“I think [the guarantee] is right,” said Ana Pinto, a middler electrical engineering major. “[The guarantee] should be based on how long a student has been here because it is harder for them to get a place off campus.”

As of now, it is too early to tell whether the number of leased properties or the number of students living in the YMCA or the youth hostel will increase or decrease, Iannalfo said, because it all depends on the number of students who apply for housing and where they wish to live.

“Our ultimate goal is to meet the housing demand and to give housing to everyone who wants it,” Iannalfo said.