Each fall for the last four years, the University has renovated a first-year dorm for the midyear class that arrives in January. Midyear students have agreed overwhelmingly that having their own dorm alleviated much anxiety about transitioning into Brandeis.But budget constraints may prevent the University from renovating a dorm for the midyear Class of 2012, administrators said. Although the budget for next year isn't finalized yet, Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins said because sprinklers are being installed in one or two Charles River Apartments over the summer, a project that will cost around $1 million, it's unlikely a dorm for midyears will be renovated next fall.

"There's a finite amount of resources and time to get stuff done over the course of the summer," Collins said. "I don't anticipate a freshmen dorm being done [next] fall."

The midyear program will continue, but it's unclear where these students will live, Richard DeCapua, director of residence life, said, adding that he would like the midyears to stay together nonetheless.

"You could conceivably have midyears come into ... half a building in East [Quad]," Sawyer wrote in an e-mail to the Justice, "but the most important thing is that all the midyears be together."

Scheffres, Gordon and Renfield halls have undergone renovations that each cost around $1 million, and Deroy's renovations are underway, Collins said.

The first midyear class, which arrived January 2004, was dispersed throughout campus housing.

"I think that it was a challenge because [the midyears] were all interspersed," said Associate Director of Student Life Maggie Balch, who served as director of residence life when the first midyear class arrived.

Brian Paternostro '07, a member of that class, said the midyear living arrangement made for a somewhat difficult adjustment to Brandeis life.

"We lived wherever there was space," Paternostro said. "I think my class had a more awkward integration into the Brandeis community.

After midyears expressed dissatisfaction, the University began placing the majority of midyears together in their own renovated dorm.

"It went so well that first year, that everybody was just excited about continuing to do it," Rick Sawyer, dean of student life, said.

Housing for midyears will be crunched next semester as well. This year, according to Jeremy Leiferman, associate director for operations and assignments, the midyear class numbers 91, and Deroy can fit 78.

"We are looking to figure out some alternative spots for those [extra] students to live," Leiferman said, but "as we get closer to the goal, we have enough options in our arsenal so that the midyear class is together, they feel like one community, and [all] will be in Massell Quad, so nobody will be an outlier in that."

Balch said fitting midyears in the same hall has required adding more lofted triples into halls. "It occurred to the Department [of Residence Life] . that if we continued to have some lofts . then we could do some renovation that we have been wanting to do for a long time," she said.

Anna Wood '09 said she appreciated the comfortable atmosphere she encountered when she arrived January 2006 in the newly renovated Gordon Hall.

"[Gordon] was very cozy atmosphere and clean atmosphere," Wood said.

Rebecca Wilkof '10 said living with other midyear students made the adjustment to Brandeis less intimidating.

Wood agreed that living with first-years (or students of other years) who have been together since September would be tough. "I think overall it's a good idea [to have a midyear dorm] because you kind of go in together as a class. It would be a lot harder to form relationships with people if you're in a building with people who have already been at school for a semester."

The downside to only living with midyears is not meeting the rest of the class or integrating as quickly into the Brandeis community, Wood said.

Middlebury College, one of many other colleges with midyear programs, also admits a midyear class of about 95 students to fill vacancies created by students who graduate at midyear and those studying abroad, according to the college's Web site. "Febs" may live with those who also arrived in February or with first-years who arrived in September.