60
edits
Changes
sketched the implementation of free agency. someone more knowledgeable than me, please fill it in...
Free agency is so called because it is the system at Williams to date under which students had the most options when entering room draw, the all-campus lottery in which students living on campus chose their habitations next year. Whereas in past systems of residential life, upperclassmen chose membership (and therefore housing) with a fraternity affiliation, or were locked into living in one [[Buildings#Student Housing|house]], free agency placed comparatively few restrictions on a student's choice. A low pick in the lottery meant fewer vacancies to choose from, but this was, in early free agency, the only restriction.
==The Rise of Free Agency==
''If you are an alum from the time period around 1990-1993, please fill this in!''
At the end of the house affiliation period, students disatisfied with the prospect of living in the same house for three full years began unofficially trading rooms. The extent of student-run room trading increased so dramatically that the College administration recognized significant deficiencies with the house affiliation system. In 1993, free agency was instituted as College housing policy, giving it official status after several years of ''de facto'' operation.
==The Decline of Free Agency==