Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony....
The Returning Resident Renewal program here at USC (sounds like some kind of recycling program) is as convoluted and bureaucratic as anything else the university has to offer. I was hoping for a better (subjective term around here) apartment next year. I ended up signing a contract for the exact same room that I have now. But hope is not lost—the reassignment procedure begins on the 31st. Bully!