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Student Government unveils new landlord-rating system |
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Thursday, 29 March 2007 |
by MILLIE TOLLESON
News Reporter
It can be hard to know what to expect when moving into a first apartment.
Appalachian State University’s Student Government Association is trying to help.
SGA unveiled Rate My Landlord in mid-February to offer students a Web site to find information about local landlords before signing a lease.
The Web site attracted over 100 posts in the first week and now has over 170 forms submitted, Jada L.
Jonas, director of public relations for SGA, said.
“It has slowed down a little bit, but we expect it to pick back up when people start moving into new places,” Jonas said.
J. Ren Toner, director of Student Affairs for SGA, said the site has
been the topic of conversation between SGA and university
administration for years.
“It’s not just for people living off-campus, it’s for people who are looking to move off-campus,” Toner said.
Jonas said anyone with an Appalachian e-mail address can post on the
site, although students are the main group encouraged to participate.
“We have had some faculty related to someone working at a rental
company, and we don’t want to skew the results in any way,” Jonas said.
Jonas said as for conflicting opinions on the site, “there’s no way to know who’s right and who’s wrong.”
The site may incorporate some type of average rating in the future so
students can get a better feeling for how most people feel, Jonas said.
All posts must be approved before they show up on the Web site. Jonas
said posts that are slanderous or vulgar, or are not completely filled
out, will not be accepted.
“We want it to be something that is very resourceful for students,” Jonas said.
Jonas said she has not received any feedback from the local rental companies yet but would not be surprised if she did.
“We talked to the Office of Judicial Affairs and made sure what we put stands up legally,” Jonas said.
“There is a disclaimer at the bottom that says we won’t put anything slanderous.”
Dean of Students Susie L. Greene said the purpose of the Web site is to
provide information to students so they can be aware of what they are
signing up for.
“I think it just gives students more information. It’s certainly not the case to bash the landlords,” Greene said.
The Web site can be accessed through www.sga.appstate.edu.
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