Due to renovations in Simpson Residence that will turn rooms into new common space, the deans have allowed more rising junior men off campus for the 2014–15 school year than the originally reported 51.
This has helped to slightly relieve the pinch many men have experienced as a result of the administration’s decision to return Niedfeldt Residence back to a male dorm and the disproportionate number of women in the class of 2016.
However, the Simpson renovations have not alleviated all issues, which Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said inevitably arise every year.
A rare situation occurred when last year, as a rising sophomore Joe Srebernak was granted permission to live off campus. Srebernak decided to stay on campus and live in the Park Place apartments. When he and two other rising juniors decided to make off-campus housing arrangements for the upcoming school year, Srebernak thought there would be no issue. But none of the three men were granted off-campus permission for next school year, so they had to void their lease with landlord Carolyn Scholfield.
“Some students are truly looking for that savings and a little bit of freedom and they’re not being allowed that,” Scholfield said.
Scholfield’s father-in-law, Rodney Scholfield, has been renting a home on Oak Street to college students for six years. Her father, Frank Hinton, has rented a home nearby for two years, but had to void a contract with some male students for next year as well. This is Carolyn Scholfield’s first year trying to rent her family home of 14 years to students. She and her husband are in the process of building a new house for her family.
“As new landlords, we’ve never been involved in the process, but for our first time, it’s discouraging,” Scholfield said. “We are counting on the revenue.”
Other area landlords have found more success in the market.
The manager of Tack Properties said that this coming year will be the fourth year for students to rent his two properties on Park and McClellan Streets. He said there was a bit of a learning curve in terms of understanding the timing of the college’s process.
“For as many years as we’ve done it, we’ve only done it by two different methods: either current tenants are staying and have found friends, or we advertise in the dean of men’s and dean of women’s office,” the manager at Tack Properties said.
Glen Ziegler and his ex-wife rented up to 10 properties over the past 15 years, including the “Yellow Apartments” on Fayette Street.
“I think landlords like it when a name is issued,” Petersen said. “It has a positive reputation on campus.”
Throughout the years, Ziegler has had vacancies in his units, but has not noticed a dramatic increase or decrease in students looking to rent or in available units. He said it has been steady on both sides. Petersen attributed successful rentals to location, condition of the unit, and price, and said that communicating availability with his office is smart as well.
Ziegler emphasized that crucial to success in the renting business, which he also admitted was very hard work, is communication and transparency among tenants, parents, himself, and the school.
“I like working with the college students and knowing their families,” Ziegler said. “I like to keep my focus college-centric.”
