Cornell University Commencement

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Accommodations: University Residence Halls

All degree candidates participating in commencement may make reservations for guest housing in the university residence halls. These facilities are available for commencement guests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (May 22, 23, and 24, 2009). Please read reservation procedures below.

Questions? Contact the Housing Office at commencement_housing@cornell.edu or 607-255-5368.

Degree candidates are limited to up to eight spaces (beds).

Accommodation Information

Accommodations vary from a limited number of apartments and suites to double and single rooms along common corridors. Because all residential facilities are designed for single students, only twin size (single) beds are available. A single room has one twin-size bed; a double has two twin-size beds. Rooms are furnished with bed sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels. The majority of the residence halls have common bathroom facilities.

Rates

Commencement guest housing is charged at a weekend three-night package rate. The rate is the same for a l, 2, or 3 night stay, and includes a breakfast buffet on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Residence Halls: $135* per person (for a 3 night stay plus Saturday & Sunday breakfast buffet).

Townhouse Apartments: A very limited number of two bedroom apartments with four beds are available at $615* total for a 3 night stay plus Saturday and Sunday breakfast buffet.

* These rates are non-taxable.

Reservation Procedures

The following procedures have been established to provide an equitable and orderly process for making guest reservations.

Only students are permitted to participate in the on-line lottery.

Degree candidates living on or off campus may make reservations for Commencement guest housing through the two-step housing lottery process below.

Step 1: Enter the Commencement Housing Lottery.

When:10:00 a.m., February 1, 2009 through 12:00 noon, March 6, 2009.
Where: On­line at Commencement Lottery Sign Up

Students must use their Cornell NetID to access the site.

Students will receive an immediate electronic reply with a randomly selected sign-up time to make the actual room reservations on Monday, March 9, 2009.

Students should print the confirmation of the sign-up time and location from the website for future reference.

Step 2: Make the actual room reservations.

Date & Place: Monday, March 9, 2009, in the 2nd floor auditorium, Robert Purcell Community Center.
Time: Refer to the confirmation from Step 1.

At this time, students will make the reservations for the number of spaces that the group requires up to a maximum of 8 beds for eight guests.

Proxy forms are available on-line and at the Residential Services Office, 206 RPCC, if a student is unable to attend the sign-up time received for Step 2 of the process.

You may reserve housing, for any remaining spaces, starting Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at 206 Robert Purcell Community Center.

Degree candidates no longer living in the Ithaca area.

An on-campus housing reservation may be made by completing Step 1 of the lottery process to receive a timeslot and lottery number. Then email the reservation request to: commencement_housing@cornell.edu by March 6, 2009. The request must include the following information:

• Number of spaces (beds) you require
• Area preference (North, West, Collegetown)
• Address, e-mail, and daytime telephone number

On March 9 a reservation will be made according to the lottery number. The housing office will work hard to accommodate the request for location, however, please understand that some locations sell-out quickly. Notification of the tentative reservation, will be sent via email by March 12, 2009. A confirmation reservation will be emailed upon receipt of payment.

Payment

If the degree candidate making the reservation will be registered at Cornell during the Spring 2009 semester, the charge for Commencement housing will go on the bursar account.

If not currently registered during that time, a check made payable to Cornell University, or a credit card, is required at Step 2 of the process. No cash will be accepted.

No refunds will be made after March 31, 2009. Cancellations through March 31, incur a $50 cancellation fee. All cancellations must be in writing to the Housing Office, commencement_housing@cornell.edu.

Disability Housing Requests

Some residence hall space is adapted for people with disabilities. Because these facilities are very limited, we ask that anyone requesting such special housing for a guest who requires wheelchair accessibility to do so in writing by February 20, 2009. These requests should be sent by email to: commencement_housing@cornell.edu. Note: There are numerous ground floor accommodations as well as buildings with elevator access on campus. Therefore, if simply looking for space where a guest will not have to negotiate steps, the student whould ask for those buildings when making the room reservations, in Step 2 of the process.

The disability request must include the following information:

• Name and gender of the guest
• Description of the personal needs or limitations of the guest
• Name, address, email address, telephone number of the person making the request
• Name, address, email address, telephone number of the degree candidate
• Total number of people in the group so that all may be housed in close proximity

Parking

Parking is free in the residence hall parking lots beginning Friday, May 22, on a space available basis. Special parking permits are not needed for the weekend.

Bus Service

On Saturday, free bus service will be available beginning at 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. The buses will stop at all the parking and bus stop locations noted on the campus map.

On Sunday, Commencement day, free bus service will be available beginning at 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Buses will stop every ten to fifteen minutes at the locations noted on the campus map.

If you need help locating places on campus, please look at the Maps & Directions for assistance.