Love and Congratulations
to
Lauren Ernst!
Lauren Ernst
Grandpa Izzy, Grandpa Larry,
Grandma Carryl, Cousins Danny,
Michael and Allison,
Uncle Elliott and Aunt Lynn,
Uncle Curt and Aunt Barb,
Mom, Dad, Jeff and Wheaton
L
COLLEGE BOUND
SMALL ROOMS page 83
"They are no longer just
in college will mark the first
places with a bed and a cafete-
time they have had to share a
ria," Mr. Brooks said. 'There are
bedroom or bath facility on a reg-
computer centers and class-
ular basis.
"There is a dramatic reduc- , rooms in most residence halls.
tion in privacy," Mr. Levy, of U- It is not uncommon for students
M, said. "We put them in a room to schedule classes in the same
with a complete stranger, and building where they live."
The added services are part of
we ask them to get along for
a national trend to make college
eight months."
resources more accessible to
Mr. Levy noted that in 1968,
when the last residence hall was busy students. That means on-
sight academic advisers and
built in Ann Arbor, students ar-
rived at school with two suit- state-of-the-art computer sys-
cases, making it easy to pack tems that allow students to tap
into the campus library and
them in dorm rooms. "Now," he
computer network — and from
said, "they arrive in a minivan
there to the Internet — from
pulling a U-Haul trailer."
But students say the tight liv- their own dorm rooms.
After a year or two, though,
ing quarters are more than off-
set by the technological most students are ready to leave
the dormitory. What seemed a
advances in dorm life.
A Room of One's Own
S
Anthony Edelman
We're Very Proud!
Love,
Mom, Neil, David, Alex, Vicky,
Grampa Paul and Gratnma Edith Fraiberg
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84
Congratulations also to all members of the
rZemple Col J4mi family
.fics are graduating from local 2-ligh School
igning a lease on an off-
campus apartment or
home is the first time
many college students
have signed a contract.
The feeling of independence
can be exhilarating, and also a
little scary. Some schools, like
the University of Michigan, help
students with off-campus hous-
ing by monitoring the practices
of landlords who deal with their
students.
Even so, students entering
into leases should follow a few
common-sense guidelines to en
sure they are not taken advan-
tage of. The U-M housing office
offers these suggestions:
• Make sure you read the
lease carefully, and that you
clarify with the landlord and
school housing officials any pro-
visions that seem vague or un-
fair.
• The lease should list a-spe-
cific commencement and ter-
mination date, the amount of
rent and when it becomes due,
and should list the name of the
landlord as well as the names
of each and every tenant.
• The lease should also list
the specific charge for the secu-
rity deposit and under what
conditions the landlord may
seize it. Under state law, land-
lords may charge up to 1 1/2
month's rent as deposit. They
must obtain a surety bond or de-
posit the money in a financial
institution and notify the ten-
ant in writing where the mon-
ey is held. Landlords must
return the unused portion of the
deposit within 30 days after the
lease ends. Deductions may
only be made for unpaid rent or
utility bills or unusual damage
to the apartment. Normal wear
and tear and cleaning costs may
not be deducted.
• Choose roommates care-
fully and discuss lease terms
specifically, as most leases al-
low the landlord to recover the
entire amount of the rent from
any individual tenant
• Make sure the lease is clear
on your ability to cancel or sub
let the lease. You may, for in-
stance, be able to obtain a
"month-to-month" lease, in
which you can cancel upon one
month's notice, but this will like-
ly cost you more Or perhaps, if
you have a 12-month lease, you
may want to sublet your room
to a friend for the summer, an
option that may not be possible
if the lease forbids subletting.
• Make sure the apartment
or house is in excellent condi
tion. when you move in_ You will
be given an inventory checklist
of household items at the be-
ginning of the lease. If anything
in the leased space is broken or
damaged in any way, you must
note that on the checklist with-
in seven days of moving in, oth-
erwise you may be charged for
the damage when you leave.
• Under the law, landlords
cannot enter your apartment
under most circumstances with-
out advanced warning or per-
mission. But tenants must
generally give reasonable access
for legitimate purposes.
comfort when they first arrived
on campus, can seem suffocat-
ing after several semesters.
Many students yearn for their
own bedrooms — or may want
to share that room with a
romantic partner, not an as-
signed roomie. And frankly,
many students want less re-
striction on their ability to so-
cialize or drink alcohol than a
college-run dorm affords. An
apartment, house or perhaps a
fraternity or sorority may sud-
denly seem appealing.
But here, too, having lived in
a dorm pays off. Their residence-
hall experience allows students
to cultivate a network of friends
from which they can then choose
the people they may want to live
with off-campus.
❑
Financial. Survival
For Students
First-year college students and
their parents get a crash course
in money management during ori-
entation at the University of
Michigan. Students pick up tips
on cutting costs and paying bills
so they don't "flunk tuition."
Thom Johnson, U-M Office of
Financial Aid suggests:
• Setting up a bank account
with a local bank. "In most college
towns, it is virtually impossible to
cash a check without a local ac-
count."
• Bringing cash to campus on
the first day.
• Pay attention. Make a mon-
ey file.
• Schedule high finance time.
Balance your checkbook, pay bills,
write home for more money.
• Learn to budget.
• You will suffer name loss;
don't fight it. Put your social se-
curity number or ID number on
all your checks.
• Buy used books on a 'lust in
time" basis. You can save up to 20
percent on used books. Save your
receipts so you can return unused
books.
• Read the book in the library
if you are assigned only a few
chapters.
• Buy generic. Notebooks and
pencils and blankets with school
logos will cost you more.
• Load up on necessities —
shampoo, detergent, extension
cords — before you go to campus.
• Save on rent by living in an
apartment or a co-op.
• Book plane fares months
ahead.
• Use E-mail instead of the
phone.
• Get financial aid information
for next year in the fall. ❑
Reprinted with permission from the U of M.