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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 20, 1996)
i \ THURSDAY June 20, 1996 The Battalion GGIE No place like Page 3 T hi exas A&M rovides a ome away from home, whether students are living on or off campus. By James Francis The Battalion And for those searching for off-campus resi dences, there is help. * The Department of Student Life aids students in finding housing and also provides them with information about living off campus. One of the department’s main resources is The Texas A&M University Off-Campus Living Sur vival Manual. The publication, an in-depth source for off- campus living, answers questions about room mate disputes and small claims court situations to transportation services. In essence, the manual is an A-to-Z guide for acclimation to off-campus living. Allison Smith, Coordinator of Off-Campus Stu dent Services, said the department tries to pro vide students with information on apartments, duplexes, houses and other forms of housing. The department houses a database of infor mation that is constantly updated and produces a price list for about 85 percent of the local housing complexes. Smith said students generally have a broad range of questions. “The most common thing,” Smith said, “is that they (the students) are completely start ing from scratch and trying to find housing in the community.” She said the increase in students looking for off-campus housing is attributed to the large stu dent turnover at the end of each semester. The turnovers occur as students graduate and leave College Station after each semester. Smith said there are also peaks in times of lease and roommate disputes. Victor Romero Jr., a leasing agent for the de partment, is one person who can assist students in leasing problems. Romero said students have concerns about signing lease agreements. “Usually it’s tenant-landlord issues,” Romero said, “or questions on roommate problems, like what to do if one moves out or [the roommates are] just not getting along.” Another set of inquiries includes maintenance or deposit issues. Sometimes there are emergency situations when physical fights break out between room mates. Legal counsel is often offered and/dr elicit ed at these times. Other services provided by the department include a roommate referral service, a comput erized housing search service and socializing programs. Plus, the department has its own in ternet web-page listing of all the off-campus services provided. Smith and Romero both agree students should first visit the Department of Student Life or call the office if they have any questions concerning off-campus housing before making any moves off campus. After housing is found and students move off campus, individuals begin mapping out a new way of life. Off-campus students include what some peo ple would label novelties of the nineties, the sin gle student and the married couple. Dima Gonzales, a junior chemical engineering major, and her husband Mike Gonzales, a sopho more business analysis major, have been married for a year. Marriage was the central reason for moving off campus for Dima and in doing so, she lost a few of the bonuses from the time she was housed in Davis-Gary Hall. “It’s hard at first, because you miss your friends and I miss being able to wake up late and go to class in five minutes,” she said. Overall, it is more of a convenience to live on campus and easier to make friends and get to know people, Dima said. Not having to cook and having residence hall costs paid by her parents was yet another loss in the move off campus. Two things Dima does not regret leaving be hind are the small rooms and the loud, distract ing residents. “Sometimes, when you were studying, you had to go to the library,” she said. And Dima said getting to the library was not as strenuous an ordeal as it is now, having to dri ve around looking for a parking space. Mike said the stress moving from campus to off-campus housing is not something he has had to deal with as much as his wife. “I haven’t had any complaints, because I’ve al ways lived off campus,” he said. Mike and Dima both agree such added incen tives as privacy, a nice kitchen, more living space and the pleasure of a private bathroom are strong draws to off-campus housing for students. Yet the two are also not a typical married cou ple. Like other students, they have roommates to help with the bills. “I enjoyed it when it was just us two,” Mike said, “but everyone is courteous to each other’s See Horne, Page 4 Marquise Cut Round Diamond Carat Color Clarity Price .31 I SI1 $475°° .49 F SI1 1,579“ .49 J SI2 1,050” .68 J VS2 1,900“ .69 K VVS2 1,750“ .71 H VS2 3,100“ UGACekt. .83 H SI1 3,150“ .94 K SI1 2,650“ 1.21 K SI3 3,750“ Emerald Cut Carat Color Clarity Price .71 H SI2 $1,675“ .74 H SIS 1,500“ .83 H SI3 1,575” .88 G SI2 1,750“ .93 G SI3 1,950“ 1.28 I VS2 4,650“ Carat Color Clarity Price .91 J SI2 $2960“ .95 I 11 2,275“ 1.00 G 11 2,600“ 1.16 J SI1 3,950“ Pear Shape Round Diamond Carat Color Clarity Price .23 H WS1 $400” IDG CERT. .27 H WS1 475“ IDG CERT. .31 H VVS2 745” KJLCERX .33 H VVS2 790“ IDG CERT. .34 G WS2 895“ IDG CERT. .37 G 11 350“ .70 I SI1 2100” .71 H SI1 2,200“ .71 H WS2 2985“ IGLCert Carat Color Clarity Price .49 H SI1 $1,253“ .59 E 11 995” .79 K SI1 1,675” .92 K VS2 2,300“ 1.02 J SI1 3,250“ Princess Carat Color Clarity Price .49 K SI1 $875“ .53 K VS1 975“ .92 H WS2 3,500“ .93 H VS2 3200“ Oval Carat Color Clarity Price .32 H SI1 $550" .40 J VS1 675” .56 K VVS2 1,075" .66 K VVS2 1,252“ .81 I VS2 3,225” L .93 I SI2 2,860” u 1.00 G 11 2,700” 1.12 I SI1 3,950” n unt^siij Una. 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