[289]WEB SITE WAIVES FEE TO HELP STUDENTS HANDLE HOUSING CRUNCH

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 2, 2009EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

WEB SITE WAIVES FEE TO HELP STUDENTS HANDLE HOUSING CRUNCH
Off-Campus Housing Site Helps MTSU Community Connect with Property Managers

(MURFREESBORO) – To help students dealing with high prices and tight budgets, the MTSU Off-Campus Housing Web site will waive its $25 fee for posting notices of apartments to be sublet effective immediately. The Web site (www.mtsuoffcampus.com) was created in November 2007 by the Office of Off-Campus Student Services in cooperation with Off-Campus Partners, a Virginia-based company providing services to nearly 30 universities. “It is a Web site that allows students, faculty and staff to search the properties that are subscribed on that Web site by the type of (domicile) they want and the location of the (domicile),” says Dr. Carol Ann Baily, director of MTSU Off-Campus Student Services. Baily says property managers pay fees to post information such as location, price and type about apartments, condominiums and houses for rent and for sale. Various styles of living quarters and living arrangements are available.
“What we would like to do is expand the number of properties on the Web site in both directions—the number of low-cost student apartments that might be available that have not previously joined the service as well as the higher-end apartments that would be available for our faculty and staff,” says Baily.
In addition, Baily says, she would like to invite owners of duplexes or people who would like to rent apartments over their homes to advertise on the Web site. She says it is a very effective way to target the campus community.
“One of the property managers reported that she did not have any vacancies in August,” notes Baily. “She usually had to scramble to fill her apartments. She had to turn people away this August, and she attributed it to the Web site.”
Managers who want to advertise their properties on www.offcampus.com need only register with a user name and password of their choice, list the number of units they have available and select the kind of subscription they prefer. The Web site has a feature that can calculate the cost based on the number of units they have to offer. Photos may be uploaded, and managers can target either faculty and staff or students.
To make it easier for students to cut transportation costs, the Web site also features Carpool Central, a message board for people seeking rides to and from school; Ride Board, for rides wherever they want to go out of town; and a Roommate Matching message board.
“There’s a ride board for long-distance rides,” says Baily. “There’s a carpool (board) for regular commuting to and from campus. There’s even a space to sell or trade furniture—things that you would need for your apartment.” To find out more about the Off-Campus Housing Web site, contact the Office of Off-Campus Student Services at 615-898-5989 or send an e-mail to ocss@mtsu.edu.


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