Housing Guide 2015

2 | Housing Guide 2015 The Standard

Housing Guide 2015 | 3the-standard.org

Housing Guide 2015This is a publication of Missouri StateUniversity’s student-produced newspaper,The Standard. The university has notapproved and is not responsible for itscontent, which is produced and edited byThe Standard staff.

The Standard901 S. National Ave.Springfield, MO [email protected]

Standard staff

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4 Housing HorrorLooking for a place to livecan be hard, as our editorscan attest

8 RentingHow do you get back yoursecurity deposit? What evenis renters’ insurance? Findout here

9 Before you signAll the questions to ask thelandlord before you startpaying

10 On or off campus?The pros and cons of yourcollege living options, MSUaffiliated or not

11 Life in the residencehallsWhat’s the differencebetween Hammons Houseand Freudenberger? Don’tworry, we’ve got you

13 Work from home (kindof)Interested in a job at thefront desk of a residencehall? Learn all about it here

16 Welcome to the MonroeApartment living on campus— is it worth it?

18 Apartment vs. houseThe eternal question —which do you rent?

20 Student-athlete livingWhere do athletes live andwhy?

22 Living with petsMake sure you know all theregulations about havingfurry friends

23 Roommates and youHow to live with anotherperson and not end up ateach other’s throats

24 Renting timelineYour timeline for finding,signing for and living in yournew apartment

Advertising staffBrandi Frye salesHolly Johnson salesNick McConnell salesBrooke Partridge designEmily Dilley office assistant

Editorial staffBart Anders reporterElizabeth Armbrecht copy editorTaylor Balleau copy editorTheresa Brickman copy editor

Rebecca Biundo reporterSofia Caito reporterMaddy Cushman photographerNicholas Deckard photo editorCallie Dunaway reporterZachary Fletcher reporter/photographerEmily Joshu reporterAndrea Koenemann distributorRose Marthis news editorSpencer Martin columnistTrevor Mitchell editor-in-chiefTaylor Mize distributor

Nicole Roberts reporterJohn Robinson reporterBrittanie Schuette distributorKayla Seabaugh copy editorPeyson Shields life editorMike Ursery sports editorEli Wohlenhaus digital editor

Professional staffJack Dimond faculty adviserSandy King ad manager


Finding a place to live can be tough...

The Standard’s HousingGuide is here to help

@peysonrose

@MikeUrsery

I once had

a roomma

te who was

an

alcoholic,

and anyti

me he wa

s in our

apartment

, he was

drinking.

He was

never viole

nt or out o

f control,

but the

smell of a

lcohol was

often no

ticeable

and some

times bee

r cans wo

uld be

strewn all

over the p

lace. He w

as a real-

ly good gu

y, though.

@eliwohlenhausEvery roommate, until this year, has

had what we will describe today as a

“unique” smell. One perpetually

smelled of chips and alcohol; one

smelled like intense cologne, incense

and cigarettes; and the other always

had some form of hairspray that cloud-

ed the room and my lungs.

@RoseMarthisMake sure you really know the peo-

ple you are going to move in with and

that they all will respect big policies. I

had an ex-roommate bring home a big

dog one weekend. We weren’t allowed

to have a dog. We spent the next eight

months hiding an ill-behaved dog. It

was hell.

Last year I was planning on moving into

an apartment so I decided to drive my

parents by when they were in town. When

we were in the parking lot, a homeless man

pushing a shopping cart full of his

belongings rolled right over the porch of my

soon-to-be apartment. Let’s just say my

mother was terrified and my roommates

and I didn’t sign a lease there.

@TJM613Don’t let your first impressions of

apartment-living scare you off. I love

the apartment I live in now — the first

one I ever looked at was owned by dis-

gusting human beings. Pans of old food

on the table, stained mattresses leaning

against walls, literal eggshells on the

oven. Horrible.

@DicNeckard

Best friends

don’t alway

s make the b

est

roommates. E

ven if you h

ang out all

the

time’ anywa

y, living toge

ther might p

ut a

strain on yo

ur relationsh

ip. You never

really

know who y

ou’re going

to be compa

tible

with, so talk

about each o

ther’s living

-space

needs.


Renting 101What’s renters’ insur-

ance? How do I get my secu-rity deposit back? Can Imake copies of my key?The first and most impor-

tant rule of being a renter isto read your lease; anylawyer will tell you that.Although reading a leasemay not be the easiest read, itwill have all of the importantinformation and questionsyou will need to know whenleasing.Each lease is different

and contains the terms thatwill be necessary to having agood rental experience.More often than not, afterreading your lease, there willbe parts of it that you willwant to discuss or clarifywith your landlord. Renters’ insurance is a

necessity, according to theowner of CJG Rentals LLC,Mark Garner. “I, highly encourage

renters insurance because itprotects you wholeheartedly.You need it because, not onlydoes it protect what youown, but it protects any dam-age you might make to theproperty.” Rental insuranceprotects from theft, damage,fire and any other unexpect-ed issue that could come up. Garner also says you

can’t technically preventrenters from making copies

of their key, but you can’tchange the locks. When indoubt, always review yourlease and keep it on file.The best way to ensure

getting your security depositback is to follow the lease.Most landlords will give themajority of the securitydeposit back if the place isleft clean and there isn’t fur-niture or trash left for themto haul. Another precaution to

take when renting is to becareful of what the leasestates about being liable.Most leases, when signedwith other people such as

roommates, will hold allsignees liable if anotherroommate fails to pay. Someleases will hold specialclauses that state you are notliable if a roommate or co-tenant is late, but that issomething to pay attentionto. It will not only affect youfinancially, but it could dam-age your credit for the future. When in doubt, always

review the lease. Each leaseis different, and if possible,have an attorney or someonewho is familiar with leasesreview it before you signanything.

Housing Contract

Sign (your life away) here:

______________________________________________

By Callie DunawayThe Standard

@Callie_Dunaway


Things toask beforeyou sign

Can I have a pet?

Is rent split between myroommates and I?

What is theparkingsituation?

What istheaveragecost ofutilities?

Arefurnishingsincluded?

Is there arefundabledeposit?

How is on-sitesecurity?

When isrent due?


This semester may have just begun, butnow is the time to start thinking about hous-ing options for next year. Do you move into aresidence hall on campus or maybe try to geta house or an apartment? To help make thatdecision a little easier, here’s a guide to helpyou make an educated decision:

Cost of room and board

Off campus: The average cost for a three-bedroom apartment in Springfield comes outto $7,044 per individual/room.

Transportation

Off campus: If you’re off campus this willbe a bummer as gas seems to be raising backup again. There are other options, though, ifyou want to save on gas costs. Bus passes areavailable and a semester-long bus pass is$125. You can also see if your apartment runsa shuttle service to campus or if the Bear Linereaches your place.

Utilities

Off campus: The average cost of utilitiesis $136, but those numbers could changedepending on how much power you use.

To campus ornot to campusWeigh the options of on-campusversus off-campus living

On Campus: You’re required to havea meal plan while living on campus, butthe cheapest option for a year of on-cam-pus living is $7,216 in Freddy. The mostexpensive options are Hammons andHutchens two-person suites with anunlimited meal plan, which comes out to$9,602.

On Campus: Well, you’re on campus!This is one of the biggest money-saverswhen it comes to living on campus. Enjoynot needing to drive to school and savingsome gas.

On Campus: Once again, this is allincluded in the original cost. You don’tneed to worry about it.

By John RobinsonThe Standard

@SaxmanJohn

*Numbers derived from Numbeo.com


Residence hall breakdownFeatures of the on-campus options

Bla

ir

Shanno

n

• suite style• 6-person rooms with

own bathroom• laundry room on each

floor• community lounge and

kitchen on 1st floor• closes over breaks• 2 living-learning

communities

Freddy• community style

• 2- and 3-person rooms• closes over breaks

• 3 living learning communi-ties

• 720 person capacity• single-gender floors

• central lounge, study rooms,kitchen, laundry room and

computer lab

Hammons

Hutchens

• suite style• 2- and 4-person suites• kitchenettes in rooms

• central lounge, study rooms,laundry room and computer

lab• Hammons: 580 person

capacity• Hutchens: 576 person

capacity• single-gender floors with 1coed upperclassmen floor

• open over breaks• aerobics room and ResNet

office in basement of Hutchens• connected to Garst Dining

Center on first level

Kentwood• suite style

• 1-, 2- and 3-person rooms• home to upperclassmen and

transfer students• central lounge, study rooms,fitness center, laundry room

and computer lab• open over breaks

• allows alcohol if 21• Kentwood Dining Center

in basement u More residence halls on page 12


Mo

nro

eA

pts

.• 1-, 2- and 4-bedroom units

• private bathrooms• fully furnished

• laundry in each room• open over breaks

• alcohol allowed and novisitation policy• home to 126upperclassmen

• first floor gathering room

Scholars• suite style

• 4-person rooms• open over breaks• home to 115 HonorCollege students

• upperclassmen coedfloor

• private bathroomsand living rooms

• central lounge, studyrooms, music practice

rooms, kitchen,laundry room andcomputer lab

Wells

Wo

od

s

• community style• 2-person rooms with

sinks included• 2 living learning com-

munities• central lounge, studyrooms, kitchen, laundryroom and computer lab• closed over breaks

Sunvilla• suite style

• 2-, 3- and 5-person rooms• home to 267 upperclassmen • central lounge, study rooms,laundry room and computer

lab• open over breaks

• fully furnished living roomsand kitchens

• recreation area on secondfloor

• renovated in 2014 to beready to open in fall 2015

• community style• 2-, 3- and 4-person rooms• 2 living learning communi-

ties • central lounge, study rooms,fitness center, laundry room

and computer lab• closed over breaks

• home to 422 students onsingle-gender floors


Work where you liveDo you ever wish that you could just roll out

of bed and be at work? Would you like a job withno commute, short shifts and a schedule tailoredto fit the academic year? How about a chance tomake money while doing homework?

If any of these appeal to you, you should lookinto taking a job at your residence hall’s frontdesk. Desk workers are student employees wholive and work in the same building.

They are responsible for a variety of tasks:answering questions, inspecting student IDs, tak-ing phone calls, checking out equipment, sortingmail, managing the printer and lost and found,dealing with alarms, alerting RAs to potentialproblems and tidying the desk area, to name a

few. That may sound like a lot of responsibility, but

the workflow tends to vary by shift. Weeknightsare generally more hectic than weekends, andnight shifts are usually calmer than day ones. Theshifts themselves are short (3.5 hours on week-nights, four hours on weekends) and desk work-ers are allowed to do homework on the job aslong as they don’t neglect their other duties.

For those who like to socialize, it’s also a greatway to make friends and become familiar withthe people who share your building.

Desk workers earn $7.65 per hour. Most willhave two or three shifts per week and may pickup others from coworkers. Applicants must have12 credit hours completed and a semester andcumulative GPA of at least 2.5. Desk positionsare posted online as they become available ateach building. To see these listings, visithttp://jobs.missouristate.edu.

Apply to man the desk at a residence hall near you

File photo/THE STANDARD

By Zachary FletcherThe Standard

@ZachSFletcher

Housing Guide 2015 | 15the-standard.org14 | Housing Guide 2015 The Standard

Housing Guide 2015 | 15the-standard.org15 | Housing Guide 2015 The Standard


The Monroe Apartments have a lot of perks for people whowant to live on campus, but want a little bit more freedom. Thereare several types of apartment styles within the building, includ-ing one-person rooms, two-person rooms and four-personrooms.

What do these rooms have over the residence halls or off-campus apartments?

First and foremost, you pay it with your school bill. There isnot a monthly payment for utilities, internet and cable. If you area student on scholarship or on loans who doesn’t work or has ajob, but still can’t afford monthly payments (like me), then thisis the place to live.

Each apartment has a living room and kitchen that come fur-nished. You are required to supply your own dishes and soap,but with every apartment having its own washer, dryer and dish-washer, what is buying some styrofoam plates now and then?

Each room within the apartment has its own bathroom,meaning you don’t have to share with anyone else — plus youdon’t have to clean up after anyone else either. The bathroomhas cabinets under the sink, plenty of counter space, a toilet, ashower and towel racks.

Within each room, most apartments are fitted with an extra-long, double-sized bed with a dresser, nightstand, desk and aproportionally acceptable closet.

So, what’s the price for this seemingly perfect living quarter?A four-bedroom apartment: $3,000 per semester, $1,200 in

the summer

A two-bedroom apartment: $3,200 per semester, $1,280 inthe summer

A one-bedroom apartment: $3,300 per semester, $1,320 inthe summer

At some point you may be wondering where the catch is forsomething so nice. The Monroe is not open to freshman.

Other perksComputer lab/printer“Hangout” roomElevatorSpecial parking (does cost extra)Quick access to National AvenueAlcohol if over 21No visitation restrictionsSacrificesFurther from your classesThin wallsAppliances get dirty quicklyIf you are someone who likes to clean and can keep up with

taking out the trash and washing dishes, this place will be great.It is the perfect place to work on being a responsible adult whilestill having the luxury of being a college student and not havingto worry about payments and landlords.

Perks of the MonroeBy Eli WohlenhausThe Standard

@eliwohlenhaus


Monroe Apartments combine the life of on-campusand off-campus living.

T-Swift dance parties, chasing each otherup and down the stairs, sharing laughs andcookie dough until 2 a.m. — this prettymuch describes the daily life of my room-mates and I.

We laugh, we cry, we act like fools andwe don’t have to worry about a peskyneighbor banging on a shared wall to tell usto quiet down and vice versa.

My roommates and I live in an adorablelittle house that is a 10-minute walkfrom campus and that is more than aplace to stay during college —it’s our home.

We chose to live in ahouse mainly so wecould get more spacefor our dollar.Our rent issuper afford-able, and weget to chill inthe livingroom, hostfamily dinnersin the diningroom and getaway from thecraziness in thebasement.

A lot of peo-ple are turnedoff by housesbecause ofthe

assumed amount of work they require overan apartment. Truth is, though, if you’rerenting a house, you’re still renting from aproperty management company. This meansthat if you have a problem like a leakyfaucet or an electrical issue, the propertymanagement company will come to the res-cue.

Five bonuses to living in a house• You can have summer-time cookouts in

your backyard with friends and dogs andcorn-hole

• You can do jumping-jacks in your liv-ing room

• If you name it, it will become a desti-nation and a hashtag

• When you ask your neighbors for a cupof sugar, they have to give it to you becauseit’s some sort of neighborhood rite of pas-sage

• All of your friends will be jealousEven though house-huntingmay seem so “30-year-old

married couple,” it can payoff and truly be your

home away fromhome.


@peysonrose

PeysonShieldsHouseRenter

War ofHouse Rules

Nic Deckard/THE STANDARD


For the past three years, I’ve lived in anapartment just off of campus, and it’s beengreat. While I know friends who live in hous-es and make them absolutely wonderfulplaces to hang out, I’m always appreciative tobe able to come back to good old apartment202.

There’s quite a few positives to housesthat I won’t debate — I’ve certainly had afew people complain about noise to me overthe years, something that people in housesdon’t get as often — but I’ve always thoughtapartments have a few advantages as well.

For one thing, with less space to heat orcool, your utilities bill, if you pay utilities,will almost always be lower with an apart-ment than a house. Of course, depending onhow many people you have living in thehouse, splitting the utility bill five waysmight negate that, but money is money.

There’s also the entertainment factor toconsider. You simply do not get the sameopportunities to people-watch with a housethat you do with an apartment. One summer,

I awoke at 2 a.m. to getsome water, only to discov-er that my upstairs neigh-bors were apparently hav-ing a party with their dooropen, featuring enchiladasand the song “Come OnEileen” playing at full vol-ume.

You’re also assured of your own space. Iknow a lot of people who rent houses, andwithout fail, one or more of the occupants isalways either sharing a room with someoneelse, using a closet or hallways as a room orpretending that some sort of curtain/clothes-line combination serves as an acceptable sub-stitute for a wall. Apartments? Two bed-

rooms, two occupants. Done.When it comes down to it, there’s not real-

ly an easy answer for whether you should rentan apartment or a house in college — it’sreally up to your individual needs and tastes.But just keep in mind that if you play yourcards right, 2 a.m. enchiladas could be yours,and all you have to do is walk upstairs.

@TJM613

TrevorMitchellApartmentRenter

the residences(a)Part(ment) of Your World Nic Deckard/THE STANDARD


Whether it be an apartment or a house, many MissouriState University student-athletes tend to live close to campusbecause of the convenience of being just minutes away frompractice facilities, game fields or complexes.

Collin Dimitroff, a junior marketing major, has been amanager for the basketball team for three years and currentlylives in an apartment with another manager, Dominic Tie-mann — a junior construction management major — whomhe has known since high school. Dimitroff says that quite afew of the people that he hangs out with are other basketballmanagers or athletes.

“Since most of my friends are from the basketball team, itjust made sense for me to live with somebody that has simi-lar interests and hobbies,” Dimitroff said. Dimitroff and Tie-mann’s apartment is just off campus, so it doesn’t take long

for them to get to the gym for practices and games. While many athletes live in apartments such as Bear Vil-

lage or Deep Elm, houses almost seem to be more popular. Kelsey Bellew, a Sugar Bear and junior speech pathology

major, lives in a house off campus with teammate and bestfriend Liz Rodgers, a junior public relations major. Theirfreshman year, Bellew lived in Wells and Rodgers lived inFreddy. She says that athletes aren’t required to live in a spe-cific residence hall, but that it was suggested they live inHammons so that they could stay if they needed to overbreak.

She says that the other Sugar Bears, besides the freshmenwho live in the residence halls, live in the same apartmentcomplex. Last year, the majority of Sugar Bears, Bellew andRodgers included, lived in Kensington Park, but Bellew saysshe likes living in a house better because it’s closer to cam-pus.

Currently, Bellew and Rodgers live in a four-bedroomhouse with two other girls. The house is close to campus and

the location makes it easy to walk to class, Sugar Bear eventsand games.

“We love where we live and are staying here next year,”says Rodgers.

Bellew and Rodgers will be living together for the thirdyear in August. Bellew says that the two instantly clicked atSugar Bears tryouts their senior year of high school.

“She makes sure I’m wearing the right practice and gamegear, which is nice,” says Bellew. “I think it’s hard for a lot ofpeople to live with their best friend and teammate, but Iwouldn’t have it any other way!”

Molly Huber, a senior member of the soccer team and hos-pitality and restaurant administration and club managementmajor, currently lives in a house off campus with two othermembers of the soccer team. She says that they have livedtogether for about a year and a half.

“We like how we can wake up and be at class in less than10 minutes. We like not having to drive and deal with thestress of parking and weather conditions,” Huber said. The

By Sofia CaitoThe Standard

@SofiaCaito

Athletes living togetherConvenience, familiarity and necessity make it easier on student-athletes at Missouri State University


Rooming with FidoHaving a furry friend in your apartment

can really make you feel at home whenyou’re away from home. Whether you're adog or a cat person (personally, I’m both)there’s a good chance that you’re going towant a pet in college so badly you can’t standit. Try your best to keep your finger off thetrigger. Getting a pet on impulse can be one ofthe worst first mistakes you can make as ayoung adult.

First thing’s first: Does your apartmentallow pets? Many Springfield rentals don’t

even allow you to have any pets, except for,perhaps, a fish. If you’re looking at an apart-ment that is furnished, that rule is pretty iron-clad. Renters want to be able to re-use the fur-niture as much as possible, and pets can short-en the life of a couch or carpet, by years.Please do not break your apartments rules andtry to hide a pet. You aren’t sneaky enough,you will get caught and you will have to payyour landlord some serious cash or get kickedto the curb.

Second: Can you afford it? If your rentaldoes allow you to have cats and/or dogs, youare going to have to pay a pet deposit or fee.This varies wildly and can be as low as a $50deposit that you can get back if your cat does-n’t ralf all over the carpet. But be forewarned,landlords will do anything in their power tokeep your deposits. These fees can be muchhigher though. When I moved into my apart-ment, I paid a hefty $200 fee that I’ll neversee again. For me, the fee was worth it.

Include pet food and litter, if you have acat, and your monthly budget just went up by$15. If you are adopting — and you 10,000percent should adopt if you’re getting a pet —expect to pay another $50 for shots and thespay/neuter procedure. If you have a dump-ster kitten or got your pet off of Craigslist, getthe necessary shots and spay/neuter it. Just doit. The Springfield Animal Advocacy Founda-tion House does overnight neutering for about$30 for cats and a little more for dogs.

Bottom line: If you want a pet, expect toset aside at least $150 just to get past all thered tape.Do you have time? Don’t get a puppy.

Don’t. I don’t care how responsible you thinkyou are. There is a three- or six-year-olddog/cat that will never get adopted becauseall people want are puppies and kittens.Besides, if you’re a full-time student, youdon’t have time for a puppy or a kitten. Evenif you have an adult pet and you are going to

be gone from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., you aren’tgiving your pet the time they need. Even adultcats need attention and affection from theirowners for their mental health. If you leaveyour dog in your house all day with no one totake care of it every six to eight hours, that’sno good. Cut that time in half for a puppy.Unless your roommate explicitly says thats/he wants a pet and is willing to help out,don’t pass off the responsibilities on thembecause you’re too busy.None of this should be construed to mean

that you absolutely shouldn’t get a pet in col-lege. Speaking from experience, I think that ifit’s something you can afford and somethingyou can commit yourself to, having a cat or adog can be awesome. I love my cats and hav-ing them around feels like having a tiny fam-ily. Pets can be a serious hassle and you’llhate having them sometimes, but it’s totallyworth it.

@DicNeckard

Nic DeckardPet Owner


Roommatewoes

Whether you live in a res-idence hall or an apartment,you have most likely dealtwith a roommate at somepoint in your life. Sometimes,roommates struggle to getalong with one another. Usu-ally roommates can solvetheir problems by followingthree simple roommate rules:

1. Treat your roommatewith respect

“Respect your roommateas a person with valuable lifeexperience and uniquethoughts,” Jessica Ball, a res-ident assistant and seniorscomputer animations major,said.

Carissa Ford, a residentassistant and junior psycholo-gy major, gave examples ofroommates not respectingeach other, such as a room-mate displaying too muchPDA in the room while theother roommate is trying tosleep.

Avoid these types of situa-tions by respecting yourroommate’s living space, per-sonal belongings and per-spective, even if the perspec-tive is different than yourown.

2. Communicate withyour roommate

According to Ball, com-munication is extremelyimportant between room-mates. She and Ford bothsaid roommates should com-municate their thoughts in anappropriate manner.

“Don’t be passive aggres-sive about an issue. If there isa problem, either personshould communicate the

issue in a mature, adult fash-ion,” Ford said.

Ball described a situationwhen there was a lack ofcommunication between fourroommates, which led to oneof the roommates feeling leftout and uncomfortable. Prob-lems arose, such as personalbelongings disappearing, butnone of the roommates com-municated their concerns.Eventually the situation esca-lated, and a Hall Director andan RA had to start conversa-tions between roommates.

3. Do not be disruptivewhen your roommate isstudying or sleeping

Being too loud can causetension between roommates,especially if one is trying tostudy or sleep. Turn the TVdown or completely off if yousee your roommate workingon homework or sleeping.Use headphones when listen-ing to anything on your lap-top, phone or music player,too.

If you think you are stillgoing to disrupt your room-mate, go to a different roomor building.

If problems keep arising,roommates can speak with anRA to get advice on how tohandle the situation.

By Nicole RobertsThe Standard

@NReneeRoberts



Decide whether it’s better to stay in thesame place or if moving is the way to go.Browse through The Standard’s 2015 Hous-ing Guide to get a better idea of the differentplaces to live.

It’s time to go house, or apartment, hunt-ing. Drive around and make appointments toview the listings that stand out.

February March


If you haven’t already, it’stime to sign the lease to yournew home.

This school year is coming toan end and that means it’s timeto move out of your currentplace.

Use the summer months to pack and getorganized. Shop for fun decorations and fur-nishings to make your place your own.

Move-in day is finally here. Take adeep breath and settle into your newhome. With school right around thecorner, just relax, you’re all moved in.

April May June/July August

By Rebecca BiundoThe Standard

@rebeccabiundo

Housing Guide 2015

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