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4 | Don’t sign before you ask! Make sure you get answers to these important questions before you sign a lease 6 | Ditch your car These apartments make it easy to get to campus by offering a shuttle service
drag-out fights with your roomies By Kelsey Berry 12 & 13 | Timeline Follow this timeline to make your housing search a breeze By Annie Gooch 14 & 15 | Prep your pad Make sure you’re ready for move-in by following these easy tips | By Rose Marthis
8 | Stay safe, yo Keep these things in mind when you’re trying to stay safe in your new home | By 16 & 17 | Live on campus If you’re not ready to move Briana Simmons off campus quite yet, check out these on-campus 9 | Safety tips options to find the right fit These helpful safety tips from MSU’s Safety and 18 | Find Fido a home Transportation office will Make sure your apartment assure you stay safe is pet-friendly so you don’t have to kick man’s best 10 & 11 | Roommate friend to the curb troubles By Eli Wohlenhaus Take this advice to avoid getting into knock-down,
Standard staff Editorial staff Kelsey Berry reporter Theresa Brickman copy editor Amber Duran life editor Annie Gooch reporter
Evan Henningsen photographer Raven Kohlenberger photographer Nicolette Martin editor-in-chief Rose Marthis reporter Trevor Mitchell news editor Chase Probert sports reporter John Robinson sports reporter Peyson Shields reporter Cali Shobe copy editor Briana Simmons reporter Mike Ursery sports reporter
Sadie Welhoff reporter Eli Wohlenhaus sports reporter Professional staff Jack Dimond faculty adviser Sandy King advertising manager
Housing Guide 2014 Cover design by Brent Rinehart
Advertising staff Trevor Collins sales Brandi Frye sales Derek Yost sales/office Brent Rinehart graphic design
This is a publication of Missouri State University’s student-produced newspaper, The Standard. The university has not approved and is not responsible for its content, which is produced and edited by The Standard staff. The Standard 901 S. National Ave. Springfield, MO 65897 417-836-5272 Standard@MissouriState.edu
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You have perused every advertisement, set up visits and maybe you’ve even gone to Target to pick out some new plates, but there are a few things you should ask before signing your name away to an apartment. Keep them in mind, and you’ll have a much smoother transition into your new home.
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Compiled by Sadie Welhoff, The Standard
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Get to campus with a little help from your friends these apartments provide a shuttle for residents to campus
West Village 440 e. Madison street
CaMbridge Park 2828 s. Nettleton ave. Coryell CrossiNg 2015 W. University street MarioN Park 1752 s. Marion ave. sherWood Village 1634 s. Marion ave.
battleField Park 2025 s. sagamont ave.
MsU
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Stay safe off campus 8 | Housing Guide 2014
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By Briana Simmons The Standard
Living off campus comes with its perks, but there are also more responsibilities. Keep yourself safe by following these easy tips. Safety First
• Avoid unlocked doors. Sometimes we become relaxed at our new places and don’t worry about having unlocked doors. The next person to walk into your apartment may not be the friend you were expecting. Instead, an intruder could easily walk into your apartment. • Parking varies for different apartments in the area, but avoid doing things in the parking lot, such as texting and scrolling through Instagram. These things take your attention away from your surroundings.
Research and Clarify
• Do your research of the neighborhood you’re thinking about living in. Before moving into any apartment, you must sign a contractual agreement. Your lease details everything you’ll need to know while staying in your new place. The most important thing someone searching for an apartment can do is to thoroughly read the lease before signing it. • Make sure you ask questions if you need to clarify anything. • Pay special attention to anything dealing with money, including rent, late fees and breaking your lease. Also take note of the rules about repairs in your apartment. • With these tips in mind, students will be able to enjoy the perks of offcampus living and know they are safe in their new place.
MSU helps to keep you safe the-standard.org
Stay safe on and around campus with these safety tips from the Missouri State office of Safety and Transportation and the Springfield Police Department’s MSU Substation
• Listen to your instincts • Meet in public areas • Protect yourself with strangers and acquaintances • Do not walk alone on or off campus, especially after dark • If you go out, walk in groups Safe Walk If you would like to be escorted around campus during the hours of darkness, the Safety and Transportation Department offers an on-campus walking service. The Safe Walks include: • Academic building to academic building • Academic building to parking lot and vice versa • Academic building to residence hall and vice versa • Academic buildings downtown to adjacent campus parking lots and vice versa To request the Safe Walk service, call the Safety and Transportation Radio Communications Center at 417-836-5509.
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Roommates: Living or coexisiting?
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File Photo/THE STANDARD
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By Kelsey Berry The Standard
Rent. If you are moving into an apartment with your roommates, just signing a lease may not be enough. Create your own contract about how and when rent and utility payments will be paid by each rentee. Have everyone sign it so they are held accountable to their word if any issues arise in the future. Chores. Whether you are living in a dorm or apartment, chores are an essential part to sharing a space. Make a list of all the chores you’d like to be done, such as washing dishes, vacuuming the floor or bleaching the tub. Decide who will do certain chores on certain days, and split the work evenly. This way no one is left to clean up everything on his or her own. Guest rules. No one wants to walk in on anything weird or end up having a squatter. Talk to your roommates about what they deem appropriate for guest visits. How long is the guest allowed to stay? Will they buy their own food? Whose bathroom is off limits? Etc. Sharing a bathroom. If you live in a dorm or share a one-bedroom apartment, chances are you and your roommate only have one bathroom. Talk to each other about class schedules so you don’t end up fighting about who
gets the shower when. Food wars. Some roommates grocery shop together, others do their own thing. Find out which your roommates prefer so you don’t end up fighting over food. If you’d like to grocery shop on your own, fairly divide the pantry space and refrigerator shelves and deem yours off limits for your roommates and their guests. Schedules. If your house or apartment has limited parking, exchange schedules with your roommates and decide what the best parking situation would be for everyone. It might be hairy, but figuring that out beforehand is drastically better than being woken up by your roommate at 7 a.m. on your off day just to move your car. Pets. If you or your roommates have a pet, make sure to discuss whose responsibility it is to feed, clean and take care of it. It’s also vital to talk about damages and who will cover the cost if your puppy decides to eat any favorite shoes, walls or window blinds. If any other conflict arises between your roommates, just remember that communication is key, and it’s advisable to steer clear of the passive-aggressive sticky notes.
File Photo/THE STANDARD
When it comes to college, living with roommates is one of the most difficult aspects. And by “living” I don’t just mean coexisting; I mean having a mutually fulfilling and enjoyable experience sharing a home. Whether it be food wars, awkward guest situations or bathroom horrors, most roommate problems stem from one thing: a lack of communication. Angela Hunt, a senior civil engineering major, said she had two different roommates in particular who would forget to flush the toilet. “I never knew how to approach them about it, so instead I would just create a very dramatic moment to embarrass them,” she said. “It helped, but you never can break a bad habit I guess.” Maybe you have found yourself in a similar situation and want to avoid all the drama next semester. If so, check out this list of common roommate issues that should be discussed before signing your lease (or life away).
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Housing The Standard
By Annie Gooch The Standard It seems that rental properties all say different things. That the best time to look for a new place is in the spring. Or is it during the summer months? Winter? Rent now and get the first month’s rent free! Sign your lease today and waive your security deposit! Don’t fall for it. Never sign a lease just because of a great special going on. The place you’re about to rent could have been vacant for a year and be infested with roaches. Coming from someone who recently moved out for the first time and spent an entire month and a half touring countless homes in the sun, rain and cold, there will always be something out there for you. Yes, there may be more houses or apartments to rent during a specific season, but if you really take the time to look, you’ll be able to find something. And that’s the thing. Taking the time to look. I recommend spending at least a month or two looking at places and weighing your options.
January Decide if you want to stay at your current location or not.
February Pick up a copy of The Standard’s Housing Guide to get an idea of where to live.
March Start looking around for deals and try to decide by spring break
hunting the-standard.org
Finding somewhere to live and making sure it has all the necessary amenities is tough. So make sure you’ve driven down every side road and clicked every non-spam-looking ad on Craigslist. Another tip: if you’re renting a home, City Utilities has public utility usage reports that you can access up to two years prior. I suggest looking at this before making a decision to get an idea of what you’ll be paying in utilities each month. And now that you’ve found “the one” do not wait to put down the deposit and sign the lease! I made the mistake of waiting two days after my application was accepted to call the landlord to pay the deposit, and she rented it to someone else right under me. Be quick on the draw after you’re sure you have found the right house. And as fun as it is to fantasize about what furniture you need to buy for your new place, at least wait until you’ve moved all of your things in. Once you have everything set up, then it’s okay to go out and buy that new reading chair to put in the brightly-lit corner between those two huge windows.
May
May/June/July/August
Move out of your old place and get ready for your new home!
Move into your new place and get ready for next semester!
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Prep for your move
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By Rose Marthis The Standard
Moving into a new apartment or house for the first time is always exciting, but there are some necessary steps students should take before move-in day to avoid issues later in the lease. Some advice that both students who moved
from the residence halls to off-campus housing and a leasing agent who sees lots of students move in every year includes the same points: know everything you are going to have to pay for and make sure you can afford it, realize everything is not being provided by Residence Life anymore, ask lots and lots of questions and take steps to protect yourself after move in.
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“I think what surprises students the most is the usage of water and electricity,” said Daniel Brewer, a leasing agent for TLC Properties. “The dorms have a lot of stuff paid for, but the little things, like renter’s insurance and gas, can add up really quickly.” In addition to rent, expenses also include cable and internet, a utility bill for water, electric, gas, and sewer usage, and the cost of food. Some students have to then pay personal bills, like tuition, car payments and cell phone bills. It is important to make sure that you can work enough hours or find other ways to get enough money to pay the bills every month. Another expense to consider is a parking pass for commuter parking, which can get very competitive and frustrating at times. “I wish I knew how crappy parking was gonna be,” said Tom Tyler, a junior information technology and service management major. “I’d have most likely found a place closer to campus so that I could have walked instead.” Brewer also said it is important to be financially stable for as long as your lease is, and have extra savings. “Before you know it, you’re living paycheck to paycheck, and then something big happens and you can’t afford rent,” he said. “If you leave your lease early or get evicted, it is going to be expensive and hurt your credit.”
Budget accordingly
There are a lot of differences between living on campus and living off campus, both good and bad. Students have a lot more freedom when not living in a residence hall, but this freedom comes with more responsibility. “You’re kind of on your own,” said Matt Ryan, a current OTC student who lived in Blair-Shannon for two years and has since lived in two houses off campus. “If something breaks or goes wrong in the dorms, you have people you can look to for help. But in your house, it’s up to you to fix things and take care of
Freedom at a Price
them.” Living off campus also gives you less opportunity to see people all the time. “The biggest difference would probably be how disconnected from the campus I became,” Tyler said. “I felt less committed to attending clubs and campus activities due to travel time.” However, being forced to figure out problems on your own and learn how to manage your time are valuable life lessons that living off campus can teach you. “I highly recommend living in an apartment if you are financially able to,” said Aubrey Webster, who is a senior special education major who lived on campus for two years before moving into an apartment. “It helps you to be closer to being an independent adult, and there are far less rules.”
A property company’s website can be a great resource for finding out basic information about which units are available, the amount rent will cost each month and what is included, but there are still questions students should ask when going on a tour and discussing the lease. If you are renting a house in a neighborhood, there may be additional rules you will be expected to follow that aren’t included in the lease, and parking permits may be required. “Students should get all the info possible and make sure that they understand what they are getting themselves into with the lease and terms,” Brewer said. “I would definitely ask about administrative fees and how the company ends its lease, as in do tenants just leave or do they have to give a notice,” Tyler said. Properties might have extra services they offer that aren’t advertised on their website. Sometimes you can get a discount on upgrading cable and internet speeds, and some places offer a rental service for a washer and dryer that can be cheaper than a laundromat in the long run. Also ask about maintenance servic-
Knowledge is power
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es, such as spraying for bugs and if there are discounts on rent if it’s paid early. Outside of administrative questions, ask if there are going to be any construction projects going on next to the apartment building or house you’re renting. Waking up to bulldozers at six in the morning could be a factor you want to consider before signing a lease.
After getting your new place, there are a few last steps to take to make sure you live comfortably during your time there. Take a good look at the place on move-in day, and if anything is broken or damaged, make sure to take a picture of it and let your landlord know immediately so you cannot be held at fault. “If you’re worried about losing your deposit when you move out, take pictures the day you move in before moving your stuff in,” said Zach Wilbers, a senior computer information science major. “It may help you if you have to dispute something.” It will also help to stay organized while moving to help reduce the stress. “Put related things in each tote so you know exactly where it is,” Ryan said. “Don’t overpack so you’re not struggling to find storage, because you can always put more in later.” A lot of places have noise policies, and Wilbers advises that you get to know your neighbors if you know you are going to be loud at times. “Giving your neighbors a heads up about a get-together you’re planning can help prevent noise complaints against you,” he said. “At the very least, give them a phone number so that they can call and ask you to quiet down, rather than filing a complaint.” Moving off campus for the first time can be a big adjustment for students, but proper planning can help negate problems before they even arise and make the independence of living in an apartment or house much more enjoyable.
Keep the peace
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Live on campus The Standard
Blair-Shannon House • Room styles: 6-person suites • Single-gender floors • 24/2 visitation • Dining center Freudenberger House • Room styles: 2-person rooms, 3-person rooms • Communal bathrooms • Single-gender floors • 24/2 visitation Hammons House • Room styles: 2-person suites, 4-person suites with kitchenette • Single-gender floors, one coed, upperclassman floor • 24/2 visitation • Dining center Hutchens House • Room styles: 2-person suites, 4-person suites with kitchenette • Single-gender floors, upperclassman floor • 24/2 visitation; 24/7 visitation on upperclassman floor Woods House • Room styles: 2-person rooms • Communal bathrooms • Single-gender floors •24/2 visitation
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Kentwood Hall • Room styles: 1-, 2- and 3person rooms with private bathrooms • Coed environment • 24/7 visitation • In-house dining center Monroe Apartments • Room styles: 1-, 2- and 4bedroom units with private bedrooms and baths • Coed environment • No visitation policy • Alcohol allowed if legal age Scholars House • Room styles: 4-person suites • Single-gender and coed floors • 24/2 and 24/7 visitation depending on the floor
Sunvilla Tower • Room styles: 2-person, 1bedroom; 3-person, 1-bedroom; 5-person, 2-bedroom • Coed environment • 24/7 visitation Wells House • Room styles: 4-person suites, 2- or 3-person rooms • Single-gender floors • 24/2 and 24/7 visitation depending on the day
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Make sure man’s best friend can come along to your new digs Before you start packing up the chew toys, check out our pet-friendly apartment list By Eli Wohlenhaus The Standard
It’s time to be on the lookout for a housing plan next year. Yet, finding the right place might not be the most anxiety-laden decision you have to make. The right roommate can be hard to find, the right roommate has to have the right mind — the right roommate has to be kind. But does that mean the roommate has to be human? That’s right! Instead of solace or putting up with that “friend” who somehow has been attached to you since birth, grab a kitten or puppy and find yourself a pet-friendly apartment space! There are several good options out there for you and Fluffy. In order to come up with a solid list, the website “Apartment Guide” was most crucial. To kick off this superfluous list, Essex Place tops the charts with a list of amenities longer than Lindsay Lohan’s rap sheet. It is located on West Battlefield Road, just east of Kansas Expressway. Besides having pets welcome, it has a beautiful courtyard with a swimming pool, tennis courts, picnic area, playground (swinging is fun no matter how old you are!), a fitness center, sand volleyball court and laundry facilities on site. Furthermore, at the Essex Place, there is wireless Internet access, some furnishing available, a dishwasher, microwave and a balcony — for romantic star-gazing and breathtaking sunsets. Essex Place is laden with fanciful fun, but it can get pricy, ranging $450-$985 per month.
Nicolette Martin/THE STANDARD
Inga (left) and Tsar (right) pose for the camera.
Just a mile and a half east on Chestnut Expressway you’ll find the cheapest pet-friendly option that is available. The company that owns these $349 per month studio apartments is called the Springfield Development Company. These more affordable apartments come equipped with wireless Internet access, a dishwasher and a balcony — you know what these are good for. There is also a parking garage, a pet park, a swimming pool, extra storage, public transportation AND the ability to sign a lease for a shorter period of time. There are more options out there to pursue if a companion which cannot speak is the way to go; only two mountains may be in the way. Price and proximity could be what stands in the way of a glorious sitcom-type nine months with your furry friend. Most apartments that allow pets do require a deposit, so make sure you check with your landlord about how much the deposit is and what it covers. Furthermore, many places also restrict the size and/or breed of dogs, so make sure in advance that your furry friend will be allowed!
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