Housing policies for the next school year will include several structural changes, including the introduction of three "thematic learning communities," according to Residence Life officials.Lottery numbers will be delivered to students' mailboxes by 5 p.m. on Feb. 28, and the selection process will occur between March 13 and 15, according to quad directors.

Students must declare their intent to participate in the room selection process on Sage by Feb. 18, they said.

The themed communities will include a health and wellness community for sophomores in Rosenthal North, an arts community for sophomores in Schwartz Hall of the Castle and a justice, service and change community for juniors and seniors in Village C. Students can apply to live in these communities on the Residence Life Web site.

Some quad directors announced the policies for the 2005-2006 academic year room selection process for at the Union Senate meeting Sunday evening.

They define thematic learning communities as "shared living-learning environments that intentionally group students who are interested in selected themes or topics."

In a departure from long-standing policy, Residence Life will not require a deposit to participate in the housing lottery, the quad directors said. Students will now use Sage to register for the housing lottery and will be charged only if they later pull out of campus housing.

The quad directors also encouraged students to be more honest with the lottery system in order to maintain fairness, noting that students often manipulate housing requests for personal gain.

In the past, students have informally swapped housing numbers with the intention to trade rooms shortly after the school year begins.

Quad directors also expressed frustration with such unapproved room switches, saying they violate safety codes and potentially endanger the lives of students. They said they will allow summer room-swaps only under special circumstances.