Along with the obvious purpose of housing TC students, providing helpful information for students who do not get housing about where to look, how to look, and what to look for in an apartment is also an important task of the Office of Housing and Residence Life (OHRL) at TC. On April 15, from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in Whittier Cafe, the OHRL sponsored an Information Session on "Apartment Hunting in N.Y.C."

Elizabeth Greer from Apartment Placement Services came to TC to speak to students about the ins-and-outs of looking for an apartment in New York City. The program attracted a crowd of over fifty people in the Whittier Cafe waiting to hear about the ways and means of dealing with the ubiquitous headache of looking for an apartment in N.Y.C. Ms. Greer spoke about how the real-estate market works and what and how her services are provided.

The dialogue that transpired during the meeting between Ms. Greer and students reflected the various reasons why students attended the session. Some of our current residents attended to gain information in case they decided to stay in N.Y.C. after completing their degree. But for most in attendance, the session was a back-up plan in case they did not receive housing in the fall. They lamented that in looking for a place to live in N.Y.C., they were having a hard time finding apartments that were comparative in price and convenience to TC housing.

In addition to providing an information session, OHRL maintains listings of apartment shares and sublets in the area. The Office encourages students, faculty, and staff to stop by and browse through their off campus housing information and apartment listings. The office is located on the first floor of Whittier Hall.

Unfortunately, the Office of Housing and Residence Life cannot house everyone who applies. For many, especially those from far away, TC attendance is contingent upon getting housing. TC's Residence Halls only afford a housing capacity for 600 students.

The good news, though, is that there is discussion of the possibility of building a new residence hall in the near future.

--Ryan Miday, Community Development Intern, Office of Housing and Residence Life

Published Friday, Jun. 7, 2002