On Tuesday, Oct 1, the Office of Residential Life hosted its annual landlord fair for students to get a headstart on securing off-campus housing for next school year. Over 70 students attended the fair, meeting with landlords, lawyers and current off-campus students to prepare for life off-campus.
All of the landlords present can be found online at places4students.com.
Community Advisor (CA) Area Coordinator Oluwadamilola ‘Dami’ Ajayi helped plan the event and said around 17 landlords were at the fair. She said the properties are generally on the Illinois side of the Quad Cities so that students living off-campus could be close to campus.
“This will be my first active program since I joined the school, and it was very amazing for me to have worked together with my team [CAs], to actually come bring this event to life,” Ajayi said.
Lawyers from Prairie State Legal Services (PSLS), a non-profit organization, attended the fair for the second time to help students better understand leasing and tenant agreements. PSLS Community Engagement Manager Paris Brandy said their firm has a partnership with the college.
“The major goal was to educate them on their rights as new tenants and the responsibility that they had to do due diligence in searching for apartments,” Brandy said.
New to the event this year was a financial advisor offering students advice on budgeting. Part-Time Assistant Professor of Business Administration Dennis Norling handed out sample budget sheets for students to learn how to best divide their money, along with other financial resources.
One of the papers Norling handed out to students included price references for different properties and landlords.
“It’s a comparison to see, ‘is the person overcharging?’” Norling said.
Sophomore Subu Parajuli attended the fair and said he found the financial advisor particularly helpful. As an international student, Parajuli said he was very unfamiliar with the leasing process.
“Back home, we never have to sign a lease, at least for me,” he said. “We are not used to stuff about signing leases and renting a place and everything. But, I think coming here to this fair [is] a step towards trying to live alone without any help.”
Junior Sundeep Shrestha works for the Office of Residential Life as a CA and helped work the fair. Sundeep said many students are unfamiliar with the off-campus housing process, which is why the fair is held every year.
Sundeep said the Office of Residential Life hopes to better prepare students for life off-campus through the landlord fair, as well as life after graduation.
Junior Rachel Bryne also works for the Office of Residential Life and was a part of the TLA staff that organized the fair.
“It was a really awesome opportunity to get to spearhead the event. I think it really taught me a lot about event planning and especially going into my senior year, what it means to live off campus,” Rachel said.
First-Year Areeya Tandukar attended the event for the first time and said it was very beneficial for all students, whether they are currently searching for off-campus housing or not.
“I think this is a good introduction,” Tandukar said. “I feel more prepared for the next year, or any time I’m going to get a house.”
