Ltirsday • July 16,1998
The Battalion
GGIELIFE
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f
Huntin
By Marium Mohuiddin
Staff Writer
he fall semester is just around the corner.
Apartments and houses are coming on and
off the real-estate market, leaving students in an
ous pursuit of a place to live. This predicament
nay sound familiar to many, but there are solutions to
lese problems — they just have to be uncovered.
Jason Scott, staff assistant for the Department of Stu-
lent Life, said living off campus is something all stu-
lents should experience
|I personally would like to live off campus," he said,
bur first years you should stay in the dorm, but off-
:ampus life shows you the real world.
■'There are about 32,000 students who live off-cam-
■, and they are caught off guard because they have
1 Ip deal with the grown-up world. You have to do the
Bies, pay the rent and keep up with school," he said.
“Vhen the choice has been made to move off cam-
another question arises: "where do 1 live, and how
get started?"
cott said off-campus housing provides students
i a great wealth of information. All the students
lave to do in knock on the door.
■'We offer all sorts of information about living off
^ipus," he said. "There is a campus manual provid-
assistance for all types of questions, a conflict me-
or, a lease specialist, a student attorney and a data-
[e with information about finding a roommate. Most
students take advantage of the lease spe
cialist, but we deal with all problems
from clogged commodes to leaky roofs."
Carol Cienega, manager of Briar-
wood apartments, said the most renters
of apartments are college students or
are affiliated with the University.
"There are numerous ways of
finding a place to live," she
said. "Off-campus hous
ing has a lot
# # #
of information and
they make a survival manual about the things to do
and not to do. It includes a list of apartments and help
ful tips.
"In February, at the MSC, there is a housing fair,
where we (apartment complex renters) hand out fliers
informing students about what is out there."
Andrew Smith, a realtor with Century 21, has in
corporated a different approach to inform the buyer
about what is available.
"Talking house" is a small a.m. broadcaster that sits
in front of the house and transmits a description about
the house," he said. "When you drive up to the house,
there will be a sign that says tune to this radio station
to hear about this house and the radio will tell you
about the things that can not be seen from the outside."
Smith said a lot of students buy houses or condo
miniums because their parents feel it would be better
if their child had a house to live in which they could
resell when they have have finished their studies.
"Apartments have many rules," he said. "There is
much more freedom in a house. If you want to have a
dog, you can't have one in an apartment, but in a
house you can do whatever you want. Of course there
are advantages to both; it just depends on what you
are looking for."
Jennifer Coulthurst, a junior sociology major, said
she began looking for her apartment in the newspa
per, but ended up using the Internet.
"My mom found a site where all the Bryan-College
Station apartment complexes are listed, including the
prices and what makes the apartment," she
said. "It was helpful
because I did not have
to call about the infor
mation; I found it all
from the Internet. It
may not be as conve
nient as living on campus
where everything is right in
front of you, but it is a lot big
ger."
Looking for the ideal place to
live off-campus can be a tiring
and hot process. The tempera
ture may be rising, but future
renters should pay attention to
what lies ahead down the road.
Scott said students should re-
search the property thoroughly
and use the resources provided by off-campus housing.
"Students should view a property first of all and
check out the reputation of the building," he said. "We
have a resident reaction file, which is a file filled with
comments and complaints about where the students
have lived. If there are a lot of complaints about a place
they should rethink where they are going to live. Look
for the warning signs. Stop a problem before it gets
worse by coming in and asking us for help."
Cienega said stu-
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RENT
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Lethal Weapon 4
Rated R
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Lethal Weapon 4 brings back the familiar
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In a story involving modern-day
slave trade from China and the "Tri
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buddy cop" idea that has been copied
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Chinese action star Jet Li appears as one of the most
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Small Soldiers
Rated PG-13
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Playing at Hollywood 16
It is every child's dream for the toys they play with to come alive play
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effects and there is Small Soldiers.
The movie doesn't play out like a 90 minute toy commercial, but it
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A military industrial conglomerate takes over a small toy company
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The term action figure takes on new meaning as military technology
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The titanic toyline is composed of the peaceful Gorgonites and war
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up in a small town, where all hell breaks loose.
The effects are great, with some inspired scenes. However, the rest of
the movie is fairly pedestrian and predictable. It's also a shame that the
movie is Phil Hartman's swan song, but then again, this is the man who
made House Guest. (C+) — Travis Irby
dents face prob
lems with land
lords when they
rent properties,
but they have to
realize the land
lord has rights as
well, so the stu
dents have to be
responsible, too.
"A lease is a
legally bound
contract between
the landlord and
the tenant," she
said. "It is not
fair when a ten
ant wants to
break the lease,
just as we can not
kick them out be
cause we found
some
one who will
more."
Coulthurst said
there are many factors
students need to real
ize when selecting a
place to live.
"Students should
not restrict them
selves," she said.
"Everybody wants an
apartment that is near
their friends or in Col
lege Station, but those
apartments are the
ones that are hard to
get because they are
the popular apart
ments. You have to
broaden your horizons
about living."
Coulthurst said
many students do not
like the idea of living in
Bryan, but in her opin
ion living there has a
lot of advantages.
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