Rotation Algorithm

The algorithm we are running is a convex penalty algorithm which works in the following manner:

Each first-year student submits an ordered ranking of residences (8 houses and Bechtel). They can only have one first choice, though they may tie subsequent residences. However, their ranking must always be ordinal. For example, a student may rank Booty House first and tie all of the other houses for second. They may not rank Booty House first and tie all of the other houses for ninth. First-year students may elect to receive a house membership for the event if their assigned first year residence is Bechtel.

All concerns (including ADA needs) will be gone through, and relevant students will be placed into rooms. The algorithm is run for the remaining students in two stages—first to assign the residence (where students will live) and then second to assign the affiliations for students who are assigned to live in the Bechtel residence. Note that students assigned to live in a House (in the first stage) are automatically assigned that same House as their affiliation in stage two.

The algorithm overall works to minimize the total penalty. The penalty is calculated by squaring the prefrosh ranking of the house they end up in. There are also some additional conditions the algorithm takes into consideration in producing a final solution: it accounts for gender inclusivity, gender balance, and house input. The algorithm may produce up to 100 solutions of equal penalty. 

The IHC and VPSA then chooses between the solutions of equal penalty in a closed meeting. The choice is made using aggregated statistical information. The individual results are not presented until the final solution is chosen.