She added that HPRE is looking at options for increasing the housing available to affiliates, and has made progress in recent months.

"We are looking to provide other housing options," Keller says. "We're studying the feasibility of building new housing in Allston".

Keller says the plan is to build an apartment complex with about 235 units next to the Business School in Allston. The Property is now an empty lot.

By creating housing opportunities in Allston, Keller says she hopes to make more Cambridge units available to students attending graduate schools other than HBS.

The architect selection process for the Allston project will be begin in January and the apartments will be ready for occupancy by about the summer of 2002, Keller says.

The end of rent control in 1994 also gave HPRE on opportunity to reclaim many apartments. Through a deal with the city of Cambridge, HPRE arranged to offer its housing only to affiliates, rather than the public. In exchange, rent control tenants living in Harvard buildings can stay indefinitely, paying their rent control rates. Also, Harvard will pay a fee to the city in lieu of taxes on student only buildings.

"They house our students, they are part of our academic mission," Keller says.

As non-affiliates and rent control tenants gradually leave Harvard housing, Keller says, about 500 more apartments will become available to affiliates.

In the next few years, HPRE will put its listing online and the lottery system will be automated.

HPRE is also thinking of expanding beyond Cambridge. They are now conducting a survey of graduate students to see where the greatest demand is. The results will be available in January.