Plan to host some friends during the Olympics? A recent survey conducted for students living in student residences found that 15 per cent of residents indicated that they would be hosting guests during this year’s extended reading break.

In the residence contract that governs all students living in residences, there is a clause stating that residents can only host guests for a maximum of four days a month. This year, the contract was amended and allows students to file for an exception, which lets friends crash on their floors for a longer period.

The form, which a student can use to apply for the exception, has to be filed by the middle of January, and will be reviewed by UBC Housing and Conferences. “Our goal is to say ‘yes’ as often as possible,” said Janice Robinson, associate director of UBC Residence Life.

“Our intent in looking at those is to be thoughtful and reasonable about the request. We want to take into account both the needs and interests of the resident requesting, as well as the needs and interests of other residents who live with them or near them. The goal with that, for us, is to be proactive and the form is to really prompt the host to talk with their suitemates or roommates.”

Communication between roommates is the key factor for Robinson and of the form, which requires the signature of all the room- or suitemates. If not all of them sign, UBC Housing staff are “probably going to ask some questions.” Even when everyone has signed the form, there is still a review process that students have to go through.

“If you take a unit in Gage where all six residents plan to host a guest or two during the Olympics, they could end up with 12 to 18 people living in that little apartment,” she explained. “And let’s be honest—that is just not a good situation. Our goal would be to make sure the roommates have talked to each other and if there are conflicts, see what we can do to assist or mediate those.”

In order to have a better idea of how many students are staying during the reading break and how many of those are planning to host guests, students were asked to fill out a small survey, conducted by UBC Housing and Conferences.

Of the 5000 students surveyed, 45 per cent responded, and of those, half have indicated that they would be staying during the reading break, while 35 per cent indicated that they don’t know yet. 15 percent of respondents also indicated that they were hosting guests. According to Robinson, this is lower than previously anticipated.

The low number of respondents could indicate that some students are not planning to play by the rules, if an October 21 article in The Vancouver Sun is any evidence. According to the Sun, only 47 homeowners in Vancouver have filled out the proper paperwork and paid the fee to rent out their property during the Olympics.

However, Robinson doesn’t expect many problems with students.

“Most residents share our goal of having a respectable residence environment. We expect most residents planning to host a guest for more an extended period will talk to their roommates, will fill out the form and will host their guests responsibly.

“If there are a few that don’t, we will need to respond to those on a case-by-case basis.”

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