Sundial Housing Guide

Daily Sundial

HOUSING GUIDE 2014 california state university, northridge

Featuring

Meridian Place Apartments SEe Page 5

Photos by Araceli castillo / daily sundial

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New roommates must learn how to co-exist day-to-day Stephen Ceasar

mcclatchy-tribune

Soon after she settled into her new dorm room at CSUN, Brittany Brockman figured she should give her new roommate fair warning: She’s a bit of a neat freak.

Her roommate, Leslie Rosales, 18, didn’t make much of the admission. But she didn’t know yet just how serious Brockman was.

Brockman, 18, folds all of her clothes impeccably and organizes them by color. She doesn’t like a dirty shower. And when the trash needs to be taken out, it needs to be taken out now.

Inside a freshly decorated (mostly pink) room, her quirks began to show. And in thousands of other dorm rooms around the country last week and in coming weeks, a similar scene plays out.

A teary-eyed parent, a final hug

and then two or three or four strangers alone in a shoebox-size room.

The collision of quirks and emotions can cause strife and spark fast friendships — or make fast enemies. And as the first-week jitters blur into a stream of allnighters, school stress compounds annoying habits and roommates must continue to coexist.

“I’m a very clean and organized person; I like things where they belong,” Brockman said. “I guess I just have to learn to have more patience for messy stuff.”

Colleges around the country have been giving incoming students more freedom to find their own roommates. At California State University, Northridge, students can opt for the time-honored rite of rooming with a complete stranger or seek out like-minded freshmen by taking a survey offered by the university’s cam-

pus housing department. The survey covers sleeping, drinking and cleaning habits, among others.

Abby Souza, 18, of Davis, Calif., was given the names of other incoming freshmen whose survey answers aligned closely with hers. Armed with those names, she commenced her Internet sleuthing — a common way to gain a peek into someone’s life without actually meeting.

She quickly found a blog page belonging to her future roommate.

“I went through all her photos, read her posts — you know, to see what she’s like,” Abby said.

They soon connected on social media, traded phone numbers and texted and chatted with each other weeks before moving to campus.

“We talked about our lives, boys, friends, TV shows,” she said. “We already knew each other before we got here.”

Students who have a light

Student Housing Academic Assitance Convenience Safety Staff Support Friends and Fun Programs and Activites

To apply online, please visit: http://housing.csun.edu To learn more, call or e-mail the Student Housing Office: Phone: (818) 677-2160 E-mail: housing@csun.edu

facebook.com/CSUNStudentHousing twitter.com/CSUN_SH youtube.com/CSUNStudentHousing

MEAL PLAN PROGRAM Events & Special Meals Healthy dining Fun and relaxing atmosphere Walk ins welcome!

MEAL PLAN OFFICE Contact Information: Phone: (818) 677-2655 Email: mealplan@csun.edu Web: www.csun.edu/tuc/residential.htm

Sign up for a Meal Plan using the Student Housing application.

Meal Plans are required when living in units without kitchens.

Internet footprint can be left out of pre-college bonding, said Carolina Salguero, 18, of Los Angeles, who bonded online with two of her three roommates before arriving at school. The third roommate had missed out.

“I couldn’t find her anywhere — and she showed up and we didn’t know her,” she said. “We had to start over.”

Jay Chaskes, a retired professor of sociology and social psychology at Rowan University in New Jersey, said the urgency to forge bonds is common.

His work focusing on the experience of first-year college students found that in their first year, students typically hoped to “make friends, become more independent and get good grades — in that order,” he said.

See Roommates, page 4

SUCCESS LIVES HERE

2014 Daily Sundial Housing Guide | 3

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8819 Etiwanda Ave. Northridge, CA 91325

www.dasbauhaus-northridge.com

Provence Island Apartments

Beautiful Property

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Beautiful Units

3 2 Bd + 2 ba 3 2 Bd + 2 ba + loft (vaulted ceilings/private balcony) 3 Washer & dryer in all units 3 Unit square footage: 880 to 1350 3 2 car subterranean parking 3 Extra large bathrooms 3 Central air & heat 3 Fitness room 3 Beautiful courtyard with fountain 3 Pets are welcome 3 Walk to school, transportation, shopping, restaurants

17900 Hiawatha St., Northridge, Ca. 91326 Call for an appointment/info 818-363-3320

4 | 2014 Daily Sundial Housing Guide

Roommates

Continued from page 2 When asked what they were most anxious about, students typically replied with the same answers and in the same order, Chaskes said. It is natural for them to hope for a bond with whomever they share a living space.

“They’re most focused on the social aspects of their college experience,” he said. “They’re a stranger in a strange land. It’s about a sense of belonging — a sense of fit. It’s a very human thing.”

But a successful roommate pairing is less about shared interests and more about two people who can navigate the intricacies of living with another person, Chaskes said.

Complaints he often heard from freshman rarely centered on different interests but on the minutiae of cohabitation. “It’s

more, ‘She touched my stuff, he borrowed my shirt without asking, he’s always leaving hair in the sink,’” Chaskes said. “It’s the activities of daily living that they need to negotiate.”

The inability to do that can lead to roommate horror stories. And there are no shortage of those.

Amy Garcia, 19, a sophomore at CSUN, said her relationship with her roommate deteriorated as quickly as the cleanliness of the room.

“It smelled like feet all the time,” she said. “She would only shower, like, once a week.”

Garcia politely asked for a room transfer, and she got along better with her second roommate.

“She showered and stuff,” she said. “So that was good.”

On a recent afternoon, Brockman and Rosales decided to make tacos for dinner in the kitchen they share with two other girls in their dorm suite. Brockman wondered

courtesy of mcClatchy-Tribune

aloud if they were supposed to use cooking oil on the ground beef.

“I don’t know. Should I call my mom?” Rosales said.

“I was thinking of calling my mom!” Brockman answered with a laugh. On their own, they decided against the oil. Smoke soon

wafted from the kitchen.

They sat down at the table and began to eat.

“I like this,” Rosales said, seemingly referring to both the tacos and their living situation.

“Me, too,” Brockman said with a smile.

2014 Daily Sundial Housing Guide | 5

Meridian Place features lavish interiors, a full gas appliance package including a full size stackable washer/dryer, gourmet kitchens with granite countertops, hardwood style flooring and private balconies. Our first class amenities make coming

home so much more! Bring your laptop and lounge by our swimming pool or relax in our clubhouse complete with WiFi access. You may also enjoy our Billiard Room or Movie Theatre. For our four legged residents, there is a wonderful dog park for them to enjoy. Meridian Place Apartments where life is made easy and living is done right! t Rinaldi S

Winnetka Ave

NORTHRIDGE FASHION CENTER

Devonshire St

Lassen St

Lassen St

Plummer St

Zelzah Ave

Tampa Ave

Gated access

Devonshire St

Reseda Blvd

Elevators

Outdoor fireplace

Chatsworth St

Chatsworth St

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIV-NORTHRIDGE

Nordhoff St

Nordhoff St

Fitness center Storage available Off campus housing Across the street from campus

CA BRE LIC #00838846

9423 Reseda Boulevard Northridge, CA 91324 (877) 812-0062 meridianplaceapts.com

Hayvenhurst Ave

Business center

an Fwy Reag

Balboa Blvd

d Ronal

Louise Ave

118

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Dorm students take risk without renter’s insurance Muna Adem daily sundial

College students are known to have a costly array of personal possessions when leaving their parents’ home for a dorm room. In addition to clothing, furniture and books, many students bring personal electronics and sports equipment.

Many students assume their belongings in the dorms are protected by the university housing’s insurance, which is not the case.

Students who live in the dorms are strongly encouraged to maintain personal property insurance because the university does not cover or replace any items lost or damaged, according to the university housing website.

“I didn’t even know you can or (that insuring your property) was something you should do,” said Andre Gomez, 18, a freshman who studies marketing and lives on campus.

Jody Van Leuven, a manager in the Insurance and Risk Management office at CSUN, said students

do not think about it so there is not enough awareness for how insurance can protect them.

“Today, you have computers, game systems, tablets, TVs and many other technologies that can be very expensive, and replacing them can cost you,” Van Leuven said.

“We all know insurance is boring to understand, but when you need it, it’s great.”

One way students can protect themselves is through renter’s insurance.

Renter’s insurance protects students personal property against damage or loss caused by fire, smoke, windstorm, theft, vandalism, riot, civil unrest and much more, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. It can also protect the policyholder for liability in case someone is injured while on their property during a party or other occasions.

The premiums for renter’s insurance average between $15 and $30 per month depending on the location and size of the rental unit and the policyholder’s possessions.

CSU schools do not require students to live on campus, therefore they cannot be required to purchase insurance.

“We also want to keep the cost as low as possible, but I can’t think of anything better you can do as a student,” Van Leuven said.

Jessie Ochoa, 19, a sophomore who studies recreation tourism management, used to live in a dorm. He wished he had insurance while staying there, he said.

“I got my laptop and other stuff stolen, and insurance would have helped me a lot,” said Ochoa.

Some students who live in dorms also assume obtaining renter’s insurance and liability will not be necessary.

“I think I am covered by my parents’ insurance, so I don’t need it,” said Marrissa Borovard, 19, a freshman who studies English literature.

But Gretchen Cathey, an operational manager at National Student Service Company (NSS), said in most cases, students are not protected under their parents’ insurance.

“The big problem is that parents’ homeowner’s insurance often really has a high deductible and it can be anywhere from $500 to $2,000,” said Cathey. “So if students had their iPhone stolen, they cannot make a claim because it wouldn’t cover the deductible.”

The NSS is one of many companies that provide property insurance for students.

“Our most popular policy is $6,000 of coverage with $25 deductible, which means that if you have to file a claim, you are only going to pay $25 out of your pocket, and the premium for that is $146 a year,” she said.

Cathey said people do not necessarily know rental insurance is an option and it is already overwhelming and stressful for many parents to send their kids to college, so insurance is not on their mind unless the school is pushing it.

“But when most parents and students know it is an option and they see how inexpensive it is, they know it’s the right decision,” said Cathey.

2014 Daily Sundial Housing Guide | 7

Daily Sundial Housing Guide Map 6

Devonshire St. Lassen St.

5

3

Nordhoff St.

27 N

7

ďƒŠ

Balboa Blvd.

1

White Oak Ave.

Sepulveda Blvd.

CSUN

(see inset)

Reseda Blvd.

Topanga Cyn. Blvd.

118

170 405

Victory Blvd.

Lassen St.

2

101

Magnolia Blvd.

Superior St.

1. Das Bauhaus (p.3) 8819 Etiwanda ave. northridge 91325

Zelzah Ave.

CSUN Darby Ave.

Nordhoff St.

Reseda Blvd.

Dearborn St.

Ventur a

4

5. meridian Pointe Apartments (p.8) 9500 Zelzah ave.

Rayen St. northridge 91325 Etiwanda Ave.

4. meridian Place (p.5) 9423 Reseda Blvd. northridge 91324

Prairie St.

Wilbur St.

3. eZ storage (p.6) 9420 de soto ave.

Chatsworth 91311

Vincennes St. Vanalden Ave.

2. csUN student Housing (p.2) 17950 lassen st. northridge 91325

101 5

Plummer St.

6. Provence island Apartments (p.3) 17900 Hiawatha st. northridge 91326 7. Villa Grande townhomes (p.4) 18641 saticoy st.

Reseda 91335

Blvd.