aNd NeIGhBoRHoOd RelAtIOnS OfF CaMPus LiVInG aNd NeIGhBoRHoOd RelAtIOnS

down your preferred living areas. The crime map shows crime activity within the student’s desired area. It’s not meant to scare anyone but to make students feel empowered about their decisions, according to Layman. The walkability map shows how far a neighborhood is from shops, restaurants and places on campus.

By Tyler Sprague & Madison Lee

students, answer questions and give out fun merchandise.

after living on campus for an entire year can be complicated and always brings challenges, and it’s no different for students at USC. While most students must stay on-campus during their freshman year, they typically move off-campus in later years due to personal preference or limited availability of nonfreshmen housing. The Office of Off-Campus Living & Neighborhood Relations helps create a bridge between USC students and local housing options and helps alleviate student stress when finding a future housing situation.

“Our office is here to help students identify offcampus housing options and safely transition to their new environment,” Assistant Director of Off-Campus Living Blair Layman said.

The office is there for students from the beginning to the end of their housing process. When beginning your search, a great place to start is garnetliving.org. The Garnet Living website, part of the resources that Garnet Media Group provide to students, includes options in all the local neighborhoods near Columbia that students frequently choose to live in. These include Cayce, downtown Columbia, Forest Acres, Irmo, Lexington, northeast Columbia and West Columbia.

The office also offers educational materials, including a crime map and a walkability score of each neighborhood around campus to narrow

While many students choose to live with friends or others they met during their first year at Carolina, those who need roommates have nothing to worry about, as the office supplies a message board so students can connect to find leasing options that fit their needs. Guidance from Student Legal Services is also available to you before you sign your lease. The services from this department are covered in activity fees and are most commonly used in reviewing lease contracts. If you have any questions or need help understanding a document before you sign it, this office is a great place to start. Student Legal Services can also help if conflicts arise with the landlord in a student’s new home.

Once a lease is signed, the Off-Campus Living office’s website becomes an essential resource for information, including how to properly report community issues and the student’s rights and responsibilities in their new homes. It also provides information on needed utilities like parking and trash, how to budget for rent and safety tips.

Living off campus, students lose the direct university supervision they once had, which, for some, becomes more of a burden than it does for others. The Office of Off-Campus Living and Neighborhood Relations highlights the importance of students upholding the Carolinian Creed and following the Student Code of Conduct not only in their school work but in their personal lives, because it encourages students to understand the responsibility of representing USC.

The office also partners with Garnet Media Group on housing fairs that are typically held once a month throughout the school year. These fairs allow student housing properties across Columbia to visit campus, interact with

“The housing fairs bring off-campus housing options right to the students. The vendors have fun decorating to that month’s theme and really going all out. It is a great place for students to gather information, look at several living options, and get some cool merch,” former Garnet Media Group event coordinator Tyler Sprague said.

The Office of Off-Campus Living and Neighborhood Relations also holds an annual panel with property managers to connect with students and answer any questions they might have.

In collaboration with the Columbia Police Department, the Student Conduct Office, Student Government and representatives from local neighborhoods, the office provides a comprehensive guide on how to move offcampus. There are also virtual and in-person appointments to ask specific questions and receive individualized help in the housing search. The office is located in Russell House 227 in the West Wing. Everyone in the office understands this process can be overwhelming, and they are more than happy to help students through their individual situations.

“We want all of our students to enjoy an exceptional and safe living experience on and off campus that will ultimately support their success as students and community members,” Layman said.