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West Virginia University graduate student Leann Ray is using her thesis project as an opportunity to help students make informed off-campus housing decisions.
Ray, a journalism student, has created a blog that serves as an investigative look at off-campus student housing – specifically in the Sunnyside area.
"Off-campus housing always seems to be an issue. The conditions aren't that great – they're sometimes even dangerous – and students aren't aware that the University has an off-campus housing department and legal services to help them with landlord issues," Ray said. "The purpose of my blog is to look at the issues here and see how they're being handled. I'm also looking at what's going on in other states to see what's done differently or possibly even done better."
The blog provides students with information about local helpful resources, dissects Morgantown codes and laws, and rates apartments based on aspects such as safety, parking and maintenance.
Ray said she hopes the blog can serve as an interactive database when students set out to look for the right apartment and help them feel more confident when making decisions.
"I really want the blog to be a place where students can have a conversation about off-campus housing problems. A lot of times students don't have a voice and feel like there's nothing they can do when it comes to their landlords," she said.
So far, Ray has learned more about housing problems she didn't realize were major local issues, such as mold and bed bugs.
Ray found local reports on an online bed bug registry and discovered four hotels in Morgantown have had bedbugs in the past six months.
"I had never heard of that in town. I didn't know mold or bed bugs were real problems here until I began this research," she said.
While warmer states have laws that monitor mold growth in houses, West Virginia currently has no legislation against it, Ray said.
"Mold could make you sick, and the landlords don't really have to fix it. Students may have to move out because they're sick but still have to pay rent," Ray said. "I'm hoping this blog is something students will be able to use to learn about issues like these and know what they need to look out for when searching for a place to live."
Ray said she also hopes to highlight local organizations that are working to make a difference in safe housing with her blog, too, like the Sunnyside Up Project – a collaborative partnership between the city of Morgantown and WVU that's working to develop and implement a revitalization plan for the neighborhood.
"Students have heard about Sunnyside Up but don't really know what they do. They go around and clean up sidewalks, cut trees so you don't have to duck, paint dumpsters and even help give money to fix up houses that need it," Ray said. "I'm hoping to really get the word out there about great organizations like this one."
Ray said she encourages feedback from students, in addition to permanent local residents, about their experiences living in the area in order to provide readers with a consistently updated database of information.
"Readers are welcome to leave comments on the blog or email me if they are having problems, and it could end up turning into a story idea that I cover. I want to get the students' voice represented, just as I want to hear from landlords, Code Enforcement and the University," she said. "Information concerning tenant rights is something anyone can use – not just students."
Ray hopes the accessible medium of her project will make it quick and easy for students who find themselves in a bind when looking for a future home.
"Most students don't subscribe to newspapers. Since it's about something that affects everyone, I wanted it to actually be accessible to students and help them out as much as possible," she said.
The Inspecting Sunnyside blog can be found at http://inspectingsunnyside.wordpress.com.
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Blog helps students make informed housing decisions
