Office of Off-Campus Life officially opens in SUB to assist in student living needs

The new Off-Campus Student Life program office has officially opened in the SUB, and it’s a ‘one-stop shop’ for all of students’ living needs.

That includes everything from housing, child care, basic transportation, nutrition and mental health referrals — needs that are getting more difficult to come by amidst Bozeman’s skyrocketing cost of living.The Off-Campus Student Life program debuted last year as a website to help students transition into off-campus living in the Bozeman community, but moved into a physical space in SUB 286 at the beginning of the semester.

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the Off-Campus Student Life program held a ribbon cutting to unveil its new physical location. Located on the second floor of the SUB in the old First-Interstate Bank, the Off-Campus Student Life program office is a program spearheaded by ASMSU to help students with the challenges they face off campus.

On the housing front, the office can assist students with finding roommates and places to live — even in an emergency. According to Margaret Davies, the program’s basic needs manager, the office has a running list of every single apartment in town.

Additionally, if you need to plan housing as far as six months out, the office can connect students with property management companies to help students find accommodation ahead of time, Davies said.

Davies said the biggest impact of having a physical space for the Off-Campus Student Life program has been “the visibility factor” — the ability for students struggling with needs to wander in and talk to an expert.

“Students see our signage outside, they see housing and food, and they’re like ‘oh, I’m struggling with that. Now let me go talk to somebody who’s an expert in this,” she said.

Other than housing opportunities, the Off-Campus Student Life program office offers a wide variety of services, including a preschool and Bounty of the Bridgers, a food security service.

Other benefits include affordable legal services to help with landlord issues, a mediation program to resolve roommate disputes and transportation assistance.

“One of MSU’s goals is to help prepare our students to contribute to their communities and be the next generation of leaders,” MSU spokesperson Mike Becker said. “The resources and guidance that the Off-Campus Student Life program provides will help our students take a major step in life by moving into their residences. Additionally, having the office in a convenient location in the SUB means that even more students can find the assistance they need.”

The ceremony on Tuesday represented a significant milestone for the Off-Campus Student Life program and a celebration of a goal that was a long time coming, said Randi Maiers, student organizations program manager for the Office of Student Engagement.

Maiers said Off-Campus Student Life was initially a small-scale program, with Connor Tweet as the only staff member operating out of the Dean of Students Office. However, after the need for a dedicated meeting space grew larger, “it became clear a physical office was necessary for the [Off-Campus Student Life program].”

Creating that physical office has been challenging, and it took many dedicated students and staff to bring it to fruition, the speakers at the ribbon-cutting said.

According to Becker, ASMSU president Lucas Oelkers “led the charge to get the project from idea to reality.” Oelkers was the first to speak at the ceremony.

During his speech, Oelkers recognized the success of the Off-Campus Student Life program office while looking to the future. He said the eventual goal for the program is to have three closed-off offices and house lawyers and mediators.

“Tell your friends that you came to our ribbon-cutting today — you came to a one-stop shop for basic student needs to help support you retaining to graduation,” said Marianne Brough, director of the Office of Student Engagement.