April 12, 1999 Volume 21, No. 14

Community Leaders to Address Students Moving Off Campus Students preparing to move off campus next year will have an opportunity to learn more about what to expect at a special orientation session scheduled for Tuesday, April 13. "It’s Your Neighborhood: Making a Successful Transition to Off-Campus Living" will feature a panel presentation by a number of community officials. Among those attending will be mayor Alan Cohen, police chief Rick Basile, fire chief Brian Wilbur, and rental housing specialist Kathy Decker from the city of Ithaca; Tompkins County sheriff Peter Meskill; Nancy Oltz from Tompkins County Area Transit; and Susan Strauss, president of the South Hill Civic Association. The program will cover such topics as local laws and ordinances, emergency services and safety tips, tenant/landlord rights and responsibilities, parking regulations, garbage and recycling collections, bus schedules and routes, and neighborhood issues. Students will be able to ask questions of the officials and to pick up printed materials at resource tables. "Many of these students will be living in the ‘real world’ for the first time, and we’d like to help make the move to that environment as safe and comfortable as possible," says Brian McAree, associate vice president for student affairs and campus life. "At the same time, this program will give community leaders a better understanding of the kinds of issues that concern our off-campus student population. We’ve made great strides in the past couple of years to improve neighborhood relations on South Hill, and we see this as another effort to create a positive experience for everyone." Also scheduled to speak to the gathering are vice president for student affairs and campus life Jack Oblak and Student Government Association president Mark Naparstek. The program runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Emerson Suites, with a light lunch provided for all attending students. Preregistration for the session is requested, though not required. For more information, call 274-3374.