Talking Stick - March/April 2015 - 35

listings, and finding roommates. At the
end of the day, these offices work to
achieve their central mission: to help
students, no matter where they live.
The need for such services
becomes increasingly important as
campus enrollments increase and the
availability of on-campus housing
decreases. Providing information and
resources to off-campus students is
a way to enhance their residential
and educational experience and to
strengthen their ties to campus. David
Vaillancourt, senior associate dean
of student life at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst, describes the
importance of maintaining interactions
between on- and off-campus students.
"I'm hopeful that higher education and
student affairs as a whole will embrace
the off-campus housing concept.
There is tremendous value that can
be achieved through enhancing the
dynamic between the on-campus
population and off-campus student
population as seen in environmental
theory."
Many off-campus housing offices
have started with only limited
resources and small staffs of only one
or two but have gradually grown over
the years. At The Ohio State University
in Columbus, Willie Young, the senior
director for Neighborhood Services
and Collaboration, oversees one of
the larger organizations in operation.
Though they were able to move
from an off-campus location into the
student union and the office now
includes four professional staff, one
graduate assistant, and more than 30
student staff, he says that "it took us 16
years to get to the structure we have in
place currently." His office, like those at
many institutions, is part of the student
life department, and in addition to
supporting students who live off
campus, they also serve commuters.
One of the greatest challenges
faced by off-campus housing offices is
the limited funds they have available to

facilitate the intentional and powerful
programming needed to truly help
students. Many offices have overcome
the obstacle with creative solutions,
splitting funding on some events with
other campus offices or sharing the
cost of an event or program with the
city, since the broad shared goal is to
promote the safety and security of all
residents. Ohio State spread out some
of their costs by charging landlords
and property managers a fee for a
booth to promote their off-campus
living areas at an annual off-campus
housing fair on their campus. "More
than 1,000 students attend the event
and learn about landlords, insurance,

to them. "Students sometimes don't
know about our office until there has
been an emergency," says Elin Riggs,
director of off-campus and commuter
services at Syracuse University in
New York. "We hired a student staff
member specializing in social media
just so that we could be sure we got
our name out there more." And that
- having a staff dedicated to serving
this population of students - is the
key. "Students who live off campus are
different than commuter students in
that they have very different needs,"
she says. "Students who live off
campus don't know what to do, so
you need to be dedicated and assign

AT THe eND OF THe DAY, THeSe OFFICeS WOrK
TO ACHIeVe THeIr CeNTrAl MISSION: TO HelP
STUDeNTS, NO MATTer WHere THeY lIVe.

cable television, and all the things
a student who is living off campus
needs to be aware of," says Young. In
addition to this event, where vendors
pay $375 for a table, Ohio State also
has an off-campus housing directory
where landlords pay as much as $3,000
in a year to be listed. "Most pay $100
a year to be listed, but the largest
ones are closer to $3,000," says Young.
These collaborative investments create
important dialogues between his
office and area landlords and property
managers.
Off-campus student housing offices
are also challenged to build awareness
of their services. Students who live on
campus make up a captive audience as
they pass through the admissions and
first-year student funnel, but students
living off campus may find it hard
to locate the information they need
about services available specifically

a staff member to serve them. And
not just as 'other duties as assigned.'
You must dedicate someone to the
off-campus population." Her office also
makes an effort to direct students to
online resources. "We provide lots of
online resources for parents as well as
students. It's all about relationships.
Make sure you are working closely with
the office that deals with neighbor
relationships and the city." In addition
to offering broad educational and
support services, the office provides
the kind of practical information that
off-campus students need; according
to their website, they offer "information
on finding suitable housing, exercising
their rights and upholding their
responsibilities as tenants and as
members of the community" and
about "security deposits, leases, safety
off-campus, and handling roommate
conflicts." Similarly, Off Campus
Student Services at the University of

MARCH + APRIL 2015

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Talking Stick - March/April 2015

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