All students, whether seeking off-campus housing accommodations or not, are invited to join the Geneseo Tenants Association. The association organizers hope to create a space in which students feel supported in regard to any issues that may arise between landlords and tenants (Xavier Delcid/ photo editor).
The Geneseo Tenants Association, created to advocate for students’ rights as renters, will have its first meeting next weekend. Set for Wednesday March 11 at 2:30 p.m. in Newton 201, the association will also aid students as they navigate their off-campus housing options.
The organization began with two students, accounting major junior Alana Martin and mathematics major junior Laura Lee. The two received assistance from School of Business lecturer James Quinn.
Collectively, they each mentioned that the significance of their project lies within its unlikeness among other campus organizations.
“There is really no space or structure or entity or institution that exists to communicate between the landlords and the students and the school,” Martin said. “I think by creating this association, it might be a way to do that.”
Martin explained that beyond off-campus housing concerns, the Geneseo Tenants Association hopes to foster a community of advocacy that addresses vulnerability between all students.
“Even if you live on campus, it’s really important to know the law and how to advocate for yourself within the bounds of the law,” Martin said. “I want students to know that there’s a space on campus where you can share your concerns and there are people who have similar ones.”
Lee said that she was inspired to create the organization after hearing concerns from her friends regarding their questions about their lease and their rights. Moreover, the school was reluctant to assist her friends who live off campus.
“A big issue that I saw was first, they do not know their rights. Second of all, they do not know who to go to,” said Lee, regarding her friends. “Once we spoke to Professor Quinn he helped, but students should not have to hunt for these resources.”
According to Martin, the first meeting will be conducted with the goal of educating students living off-campus on their rights as tenants and what to look for before signing a lease. She said subsequent meetings will adapt according to campus needs.
The Geneseo Tenants Association is seeking funding and resources from the Student Association to help students who are worried about their lease or landlords infringing on their rights. Martin and Lee are also looking into collaboration with the GOLD program and the school of business to create workshops that teach students about renting and tenant’s rights.
“Similar to the idea of creating a resume or cover lever, I hope to maybe create a GOLD workshop that would go over the basic components of a contract. I feel like learning about such in a low stress workshop environment could be beneficial,” Lee said.
Martin said a workshop like this could help students understand the severity of signing a contract, considering the action legally binds the signee to something for a period of time.
“I was going to ask SA for help with funding if a student needs help with a lawyer. I know people who trust their future housemates to read the lease, and they will just sign it and leave,” Lee said.
Psychology major sophomore Helena Henry said that she is moving off campus next semester and believes that the association could be useful to her.
“I don’t know much about signing leases, so I think it’s important to have this on campus,” Henry said. “I hope that I could gain more insight regarding what the landlord’s job is and their role in maintaining the rented space."