Students regained access to HomerConnect’s housing system last Friday after the Office of Residential Life shut it down March 6 to correct technical problems.

Jen Richardson, assistant director of housing services and communication, said the biggest issue was the system allowing multiple groups of students to view the same apartment as available, causing students who were not assigned an apartment to receive confirmation they were.

The other problem, Richardson said, was a coding error preventing students from adding the names of people they wanted to live with in a Circle Apartment or Terrace Suite. Richardson said the coding problem was masking the more serious one of apartment availability, which was not noticed until the coding was fixed.

Despite the glitches, Richardson said she still has confidence in the HomerConnect system, though she could not be sure the system will not go down again.

“Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee with technology,” Richardson said. “We’re doing our best to monitor it and make sure it works.”

Richardson said the system would be fixed as needed if more problems occur. However, if the new online system cannot be used, Richardson said the Office of Residential Life has backup plans, including reverting to a traditional lottery system.