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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2001)
I Tuesday, January 30,2001 ve receif request : a! in the! studeiil vill keti gram i| id on vl Our i 'peratiofl dth studl and will THE BATTALION Home sweet home Hunt for fall housing begins, students raise many important questions Page 3 Sbisa o| tify hav lid. “We i ick to the vc to StUG to do i(i people 1; lining fc f irs. I ow wel !•: bystudrl bletoge::| fore fe ‘ ere foal 'in.' ' surpnse' m Opel She sai;| to tell dm "mil | its" othia ood Ser becausij- hours. is don’iaA the lontii iter for#' ; idents lie ins the ill 1 lit mortal neal" j ity manasJj that die H •essf&li is well. | gotten^ ts." R' ived gardinn positive I being I m mo® meat its wft Sbisa USB ni-fortti] it ion of atingwf nd seatinr vat ions if js, and tin 1 edbya® students s aboutst yean fll ( j on Foci food.taiw ooni l * I ationals:.! m 30 pm pm dates Editor ! or ditor oducer f actio Proa-; By Cindy Gallegos The Battalion There is great joy and comfort in having some where to call home. Having one’s own place gives a person a sense of liberty and responsibility. In con trast to the dorm scenario that most people picture as the college experience, there are various options for student housing. However, these options create difficult questions. When should l start looking? How much cash can I spare each month? How do 1 find a subleaser? Students are often bombarded with the stresses of hunting for desirable and cost-efficient housing. Most students agree that off-campus housing definitely has its advantages. “You get a greater sense of independence because you have to take on more responsibilities,” said Brid- gette Alderson, a senior park and recreation sciences major. To simplify things, Off-Campus Student Services provides a resource for sticky situations in which peo ple often find themselves trapped. “People always have questions about their lease and things they don’t understand,” said Jennifer Ford, assistant coordinator of.Off-Campus Student Services. “We can usually answer those kinds of questions.” It is not uncommon to feel pressured, misled, or even tricked after visiting various housing agencies. Information is thrown out from all directions, and it is up to each person to decide what is best. Off-Campus Student Services was designed to al leviate some of these frustrations. Important informa tion regarding leases, housing and information about specific apartment complexes is available. There is a knowledgeable staff that is ready and willing to answer a range of questions involving any thing from leases to roommate problems. Ford said that students should be aware of what they are signing before they sign. By being informed, students can avoid problems involving management. “The most common problem we hear of after peo ple are living somewhere is some kind of maintenance issue,” Ford said. ‘Things aren’t getting repaired, and they don’t understand the process for getting those things repaired.” Sometimes, agencies will show a potential renter a model unit that is spruced up with Aggie decor but will « The most common problem we hear of after people are living somewhere is some kind of maintenance issue. Things aren't getting repaired, and they don't understand the process for getting those things repaired" — Jennifer Ford assistant coordinator of Off-Campus Student Services not show the condition of the actual unit that the renter will be living in. This is only one of many aspects to take into consideration. Others are location, safety and, of course, price. “When you’re in a duplex or in a house, the utility bills are always going to run you more,” said Deanna Gorsuctt, a local apartment manager. Depending on the lease agreement, there are a va riety of ways the extras may be included or exclud ed into the bill. It is important to take this into con sideration when calculating the total amount that will be spent. Be sure to ask about phone, cable and Internet con nections and the availability of laundry facilities. Questions like these can be answered by the Off- Campus Survival Manual. The new manual will be distributed at the Off-Campus Housing Fair on Feb. 21 in the Memorial Student Center. “They’ll pass out prizes; they’ll pass out floor jpipra^ CET OUT WHILE VOU CAN STUFF IT GREAT STUFF FROM OUR SHELVES SHOVE IV ALL QUICKLY INTO YOUR JANSPORT PACK CRAM IV * »A< KNACKS MUST BE WORN ON BACK WITH CARRY INC STRAP* OVER CAC The Texas A&M Bookstore, Memorial Student Center Drawing 1/3 1/2001 12:00 pm Contest 2/22/2001 12:00 pm Winner receives ColorTV, Backpack, and merchandise. See store for details. plan information,” Ford said. “We’ll have our new survivor manuals.” The housing fair is an excellent opportunity for the students to have a good time and gather helpful infor mation. It is always wise to ask many questions con cerning the length of the lease. “My advice for those people who just want a se mester lease is to start now,” Ford said. “If you wait until May or June, the semester leases are gone.” Fortunately, there is the option of subleasing for students who are interning, co-oping, or going home during the summer. Subleasing is an arrangement in which one individual rents his apartment to another person who needs a temporary place to live. Subleas ing can be the right answer, but the renter must be cer tain that subleasing is allowed at that property. Another option to consider, if the location allows it, is summer storage. “We allow them to do summer storage,” Gorsuctt said. “They're allowed to keep their belongings in the apartment.” An important issue that many people experience is the roommate scene. The off-campus services provide and encourage a roommate contract that can be signed to avoid roommates who may skip paying rent. “It happens a lot of times where somebody’s room mate leaves in the middle of the semester,” Ford said. “Now you’re responsible for that full amount of rent.” The roommate contract is a great defense in a small claims court for an unfaithful roommate. Certain housing options also allow separate leases. “With separate leases, you're only liable for your self and not everyone else,” said Mitzi Mills, another local apartment complex employee. A lot of responsibility is required in the search for that perfect place. Locator services are available, of ten free of charge, to assist with this decision. “If you want a house or a duplex, it's probably bet ter to go through a locator service,” Ford said. It is suggested that students looking for a house or duplex go through a locator service, whereas, when looking for an apartment, going solo will suffice. Gorsuctt said management services can be a good place to start when looking for housing. “We deal with many properties on different sides of town,” she said. “We know what other properties are doing, and we’re aware of the market rate for prop erties that are comparable to the ones we have.” Whatever route a renter decides to take, this new experience and responsibility can be one of the hard est things to handle. “Doing everything on your own is probably the hardest thing to adjust to,” Mills said. About Our LEASING Qppriai Qi OiHlsIHLo! ANDY HANCOCK/Thi; Battalion a j a ? a Did you know ITJ .# 3 Millio Aggies rode the bus last year! 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