The Off-Campus Council (OCC) Created last year under the auspices of the Office of the Dean for Student Development (ODSD), this new council acts as an advocacy group for students living off campus.
Developed as a response to the growing concerns of students living off campus, the OCC's director, John Murtagh, A&S '09, and assistant director, Connor McNellis, A&S '09, hold monthly meetings with off-campus students to better connect the student voice to upper administration.
"We're a source out there for the students living off campus and those who will be - we're a source they can go to," Murtagh said.
Right now, one of the main initiatives the council is working on is the creation of an on-campus legal consultation service for off-campus students. Disputes between student tenants and their landlords do happen, and students often lack the legal knowledge to tackle the problem and win. The OCC has reached out to Boston College Law School students and professors in hopes of creating a service for student tenants unsure of their rights.
Fostering a more visible bond between all off-campus students is another major goal of the group, which was one of the sponsors of the "A Taste of Off-Campus" event.
"We're trying to build a sense of community among off-campus kids and make sure the administration knows the feelings of off-campus students," Murtagh said.
Residential Life Off-Campus Housing Services Marianne Carrabba currently acts as the off-campus housing director within ResLife. She and the off-campus housing assistant, Joan Doyle, provide numerous resources for students starting the apartment search. They offer open house tours in both the fall (November) and spring semesters to help students find the best places to live. Many off-campus information sessions are also hosted by the department throughout the year. Their Web site, www.bc.edu/offcampus, is full of information for students just starting their search to those looking for roommates to those signing a lease or getting ready to move in. They even have a "do not rent" list for students to look at in their office so students can avoid landlords and rentals that have caused students trouble in the past. The department can also help students unsure of how to get in contact with the right city authority on a certain issue. Students can call 617-552-3075 or e-mail offcampus@bc.edu with questions.
UGBC Off-Campus Directors Danielle Rosen, LSOE '09, and Kyle Zrenda, LSOE '10, are this year's off-campus directors within the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC). The off-campus division of the UGBC provides an array of services to ensure the off-campus experience is positive for all BC undergraduates. Similar to PEPs for professors, UGBC also offers REPs - a program that lets students report on their off-campus apartments. Students can use the source to judge the quality of the rental they are considering buying, based on the views of BC students who rented there before.
"We want to provide a connection between students past and present living off campus so that resources can be shared to benefit everyone," Rosen said in an e-mail.
A new off-campus comments page is also being added to the UGBC Web site so the organization can get better feedback from off-campus students about their needs and rights.
Another initiative this year is helping off-campus students live more environmentally friendly by providing recycling bins to those living off campus in apartments with six units or fewer.
The UGBC has kept students up to date through their "Know Your Rights" document. Rosen said she and Zrenda will be updating the document in light of the new alcohol and drug policy off campus.
"It is important for students to know that UGBC is a resource for them. We want to help in any way we can. Students living off campus often get a bad reputation for being a nuisance. It's important that UGBC and students living off campus work together to show the surrounding community that all BC students work hard to be a positive influence on and off campus," Rosen said.
Be the first to comment on this article!