Jumpstarting the 2018-2019 housing process, the Department of Community Living released room selection numbers for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors on Wednesday morning. However, shortly after the numbers were announced by email, the system experienced technical difficulties, creating confusion in the initial moments after the numbers were made available.

These technical difficulties involved the website crashing in the first minutes and students being unable to see their housing numbers listed online, despite being emailed that their numbers had been released.

These problems were resolved quickly, and students were able to check their housing numbers later that day. In an email to the Justice, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Timothy Touchette said DCL “was able to restart the system within minutes” after the crash.

“Anytime [sic] we have nearly 3000 people logging into any system there are bound to be issues,” Touchette wrote. “This has come up from time to time and we continue to work with our software provider to come up with solutions to the issue.”

Touchette explained that DCL works with Brandeis Library and Technology Services and the software provider Adirondack Solutions to build the Brandeis housing system. These groups “tested and re-tested for weeks so that the functionality of the system was intact,” he wrote, but added there “is no way however to simulate all the users logging in at the same time.”

Simultaneous logins from “multiple devices,” as well as attempts to “rapidly refresh” the system, puts a lot of strain on the system and may have contributed to the crash, he added.

Looking ahead to the actual housing selection process, DCL does not expect further technical difficulties of this nature, he said. This is because “the process itself has log-ins spread across many days and many hours on those days,” Touchette wrote.

As the housing process moves forward, Touchette emphasized DCL’s willingness to “work with every student” and commitment “to making every available effort when accommodating our students.” He added, “We are always able to come up with creative solutions to complex problems.” 

 —Jocelyn Gould