Oct. 2023 Department Debrief: Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement
October 10, 2023
Willie J. Young, Sr. Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement
To contact Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement: Call 614-292-0100, email offcampus@osu.edu or visit their website at offcampus.osu.edu
Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement Frequently Asked Questions: https://offcampus.osu.edu/about-us/faqs/
Department Debrief is a monthly article from the Parent and Family Relations office dedicated to helping family members and supporters better understand the services, opportunities and support offered by particular offices for students.
This month, our team met with Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement to discuss the various resources they offer to parents and their students, including information on commuter services, an online off-campus housing search and home safety devices.
1.) If Halloween was canceled but a spooky spirit said you could save Halloween by describing what your office does to parents, families and students, what would your 30-second elevator pitch be?
Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides off-campus living and commuting information and resources to students and families, Community Outreach and Engagement Manager Rochelle Toth said.
Searching for off-campus housing typically begins in September, but students can find housing all throughout the year.
Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides a variety of services available on their website such as a roommate search, the Off-Campus Housing Network housing search, a page that describes Ohio States available commuter resources and information regarding how students can enhance their safety both on and off campus.
Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement is dedicated to supporting the safety and security of students.
“Whether that’s during Halloween celebrations or preparing your home for all spooky season things, we want to make sure our students are equipped,” Toth said.
Beyond just the Halloween season, Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement works to educate students on safety measures while providing them with resources that help implement that security-based mindset into daily routines.
To enhance knowledge related to safety off-campus, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides students with a variety of resources, including the Community Crime Map, Toth said.
This Community Crime Map is a tool that can be utilized by parents or students. Located on Ohio State’s Department of Public Safety’s website, the Community Crime Map is a crime reporting resource where parents and students can sign up to receive daily, weekly or monthly emails of recent crimes within a chosen mile radius from the student’s residence. More information can be found on the Department of Public Safety Website.
Beyond the Community Crime Map, Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides an overview of how students can enhance their personal and home security.
Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides students with free safety devices that can be found at their office in the Ohio Union such as a personal safety alarms students can carry with them anywhere and complimentary home safety devices such as window and door alarms.
“We have personal safety devices for the home,” Toth said. “We also offer window and door alarms and smart plugs.”
Beyond the many safety devices Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement offers to students, Toth said to be on their off-campus housing search platform (the Off-Campus Housing Network), in-network property owners must commit to meeting additional safety requirements.
“Those property owners who are opting in agree to some criteria for the program,” Toth said. “Some of those criteria focus on safety and security.”
Toth said the safety criteria includes property owners agreeing to let a staff member and City Code Enforcement officer do safety inspections of some of their properties.
“Some of the other criteria are increased lighting in the front and rear of entrances,” Toth said.
Beyond focusing on proactive off-campus safety practices and supplying safety devices, Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement offers housing consultations to students feeling stressed about house searching.
“They typically sit down with a peer who can help them navigate that housing search and to know how to utilize the Off-Campus Housing Network,” Toth said.
In-network property owners additionally provide information about their business practices within the Off-Campus Housing Network search, so students can make an educated decision on housing, Toth said.
Additionally, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides an off-campus roommate search and digital off-campus living guides.
Found on their website, the roommate search is an opportunity for students to make a “roommate ad” that includes whether they are searching for a roommate with or without housing along with their gender, campus location, class rank, major, move-in date and any additional comments.
“Ohio State students are able to log into that platform and communicate back and forth to identify if it’s a good roommate match,” Toth said.
Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement also hosts several roommate fairs throughout the year where students have the opportunity to meet a possible roommate in-person.
The next roommate fair this semester is being held on Oct. 19 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Alonso Family Room in the Ohio Union. Students can register for this event on the Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement website.
The search for off-campus housing can be a stressful experience, but Toth emphasized that Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement is there to help students, families and parents have the smoothest experience possible.
2.) What resources and/or helpful information does Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement offer commuting students?
Beyond offering students resources for off-campus housing, Toth said the office works to encourage commuter student engagement.
“We have various resources that are particular to commuter students,” Toth said.
These resources include commuter meetups, lockers, a lounge and a kitchen located on the third floor of the Ohio Union.
“Commuter students can access [these] anytime the building is open,” Toth said.
On their website, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides more information regarding these commuter resources along with information on the local bus systems: https://offcampus.osu.edu/resources/commuter-resources/.
3.) Do you have any recommendations for students and families to help them best navigate their off-campus housing search?
Toth said she recommends parents, families or students utilize Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement’s housing search found on their website.
“That has all of our in-network property owners,” Toth said.
Toth also said she highly recommends parents have their student’s lease reviewed by Ohio State’s Student Legal Services before signing it as an extra precaution.
In addition to this housing search, Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides off-campus housing presentations.
“We do have some recorded on our website,” Toth said. “That is an opportunity to get a lot of tips and tools on the housing search process [such as] questions to ask and things to consider.”
On their website, Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement also offers a virtual platform that provides students with helpful information regarding their search for housing called Off-Campus Living Guides.
Toth said these documents act as a guide for students to utilize at various points in their off-campus housing experience.
“We highly recommend utilizing that throughout the [housing] process,” Toth said.
Located on their website, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement provides a commuting 101, graduate and professional student living guide and an off-campus living guide.
4.) Are there any other services or resources provided by your office that you think would be beneficial for parents, families and students to be aware of?
Toth said Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement holds two Off-Campus Living Expos each year.
With the next one being on Oct. 17, Toth said these expos typically act as fairs where in-network property owners who opted into the Off-Campus Housing Network can share their available housing. There are various campus and community organizations that attend the event as well to support safety such as the Columbus police.
Toth said their office also has a resource hub on their website that contains helpful information for parents and students preparing to live off-campus.
This hub includes personal safety and home, parking, city and community and university and academic resources.
Located at the bottom of their website, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement additionally supplies an Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement event calendar along with a calendar that contains all Student Life events for the year.
Brooke Tacsar
Student Assistant
Parent and Family Relations