Student Council continues to make strides towards fully implementing the future off-Grounds housing office by launching organizational workshops Thursday.
After passing a resolution creating the office last November, Council obtained space on the second floor of Newcomb Hall as a possible site for the new off-Grounds housing office, Housing Concerns Committee Chair Ryan Grammer said. The office will employ a full-time staff to help students with their off-Grounds housing needs.
"Our goal is to have it up and running by the end of the [semester], and then working over the summer to establish relationships with landlords," Grammer said.
Council has not yet contacted any rental agencies.
"We're waiting until we're more established," Grammer said.
The Committee also is considering a partnership with the Parents Program.
Organizational workshops for the off-Grounds housing office will begin Thursday as a part of Council's ongoing campaign to increase student participation in the office's development.
According to Architecture Rep. Greg Moore, who co-sponsored the resolution creating the office with College Rep. Marisa Nelson, the workshops will deal with everything from putting together a housing booklet to discussing what kind of people to hire for the office.
"Basically, we're trying to get student input together for our oversight committee," Nelson said. "It's an opportunity for students to get involved in the office."
The primary focuses of the new office will be to educate students on the extensive possibilities of off-Grounds housing and to facilitate relationships between the students and the landlords.
"There are plenty of off-Grounds housing options available," Grammer said. "You don't need to sign a lease in October. There are empty beds throughout the city, even now."
Council plans to use the Student Tenant Bill of Rights as the foundation for building a relationship between the office and rental agencies. Absent of any "ridiculous requests," the bill of rights will help ensure all leases are equitable, Grammer said.
The off-Grounds housing office will attempt to resurrect a former office that was closed several years ago.
"The other office closed because we noticed students were not the primary users," Chief Housing Officer Mark Doherty said. "It was a waste of student funds."
The new office will not be funded by the University. Instead, a proposal currently is on the table to finance the office through the Student Activity Fund.
While no rental agencies have been officially contacted by Council, landlords expressed interest in the prospective office.
"There used to be a little place in Newcomb where we could put stuff, but they took that away from us," said Mark Fulton, property manager for Wade Apartments. "I'm very intrigued by this."
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