By Mallory Sherwood, Features Editor

Online housing registration for next year’s sophomores ended this year without many problems. Barret Hall, the sophomore women’s residence hall, was most women’s first choice, but bad weather could delay the work schedule.

One hundred sixty-two students can live in the residence hall, and the rooms are full.

Barret Hall will have 22 suites, which house eight students. Each suite includes four rooms for roommate pairs and a living area that the students share with a chair, couch and television.

Many girls didn’t get their first choice and are waiting to try again in the fall.

Kim Craddock, freshman electronic media major from Atlanta, is one of the students who registered to live in Barret Hall but did not get it.

“My roommate was pretty upset that we didn’t get it because they are supposed to be really nice, but I am not too worried about it,” Craddock said.

She said they received their second choice of Sikes Hall but will try again in the fall to be placed in Barret, if it is complete.

Dr. Mimi Barnard, director of Residence Life Education and Housing, said construction should be complete by the fall, but many weather-induced delays and problems because of the steel needed to build the hall have put workers behind.

“I am really concerned about it being completed,” Barnard said, “so we are praying for good weather.”

She said the process has a domino effect, and unless everything is done correctly, delays are inevitable.

Barnard said she met with the new residents of Barret Hall to discuss community living and the possibility of it not being completed on time.

She explained three possibilities to the women.

The women might be placed in vacant rooms in other women’s residence halls until the building is completed. Barnard said she couldn’t imagine it taking longer than four to six weeks after school begins.

Another possibility is that students from Barret who live in Abilene can house other girls.

“I’m hoping that we have quite a few Abilene residents who can take their roommate and some friends home for a couple of weeks until it gets done,” Barnard said.

The third alternative is for faculty and staff to house the women.

“It has happened before when Nelson was being built that students had to be placed across Abilene for several months,” Barnard said. “Just the other day, Dr. Money told me that he has room for four, and I know we have room for several as well.”

She said the latter is a worst-case scenario.

Kevin Watson, associate vice president of Administrative Services, said in an e-mail the construction is behind schedule, but he doesn’t think it will cause too much of a problem.

He said he is holding the general contractor to his schedule and will not decrease pressure until the job is finished.

He also said he has no way of knowing if the completion will be delayed.