Housing office draws complaints

By KARI NEERING THE JOURNAL NEWS (Original publication: June 2, 2003)

A housing office created to help match interested Rockland Community College students with prospective rentals in the county is rarely open and doesn't provide students with enough information, according to school employees.

Kim Sojak, secretary in the college's international student services office, said she and her co-workers have helped just as many students than before the office was created, even though it was supposed to ease their load. With more than 250 international students enrolled, Sojak said the group of students weren't getting enough help from the housing office.

"It's very frustrating, even for us," she said. "I don't know if it's because of the hours there or what. Whatever it is, it's not working. And we have to stick to what we know works here."

The housing office was established two years ago to help athletes and international students find a place to live. The college's intention was not to act as an agent or landlord, but merely a referral service.

Gary Peskin was asked to stretch his responsibilities as an employee in the athletic department to assist students. No new money was available to hire new faculty, so the college worked out a new schedule for Peskin.

But a recent academic reorganization changed that schedule, giving him less time to devote to the housing office.

Peskin deferred all comments to his boss, Athletic Director Dan Keeley, who said 491 students picked up a housing list from the office this academic year. The list was updated every two weeks, he said, and nearly 120 listings were not renewed, presumably because they got a tenant.

"On our end, it's doing fine," Keeley said of the office. "Is it the best housing office in Rockland county? No. But we do what we can."

The college began the office in the spring of 2001. Officials asked landlords with apartments, basements, rooms or other vacancies near the main campus in Suffern to contact them with listings.

Maria Dell'Arciprete, coordinator of international student services at the college, said the housing situation in Rockland was tough on foreign students who already lacked the credit history and references most landlords require.

Local housing and real estate experts say monthly rent on most two-bedroom units in the county can range from $1,200 to $1,500 — apartments that are hard to come by, even for locals.

Dell'Arciprete said because foreign students don't know the country, language or culture, they needed help throughout the process. The housing office was helping athletes, she said, but she was disappointed in its effort to help foreign students.

"A person comes from halfway around the world ... how can you expect to hand them a list and just say 'here?' " she asked.

Maria Salazar, 25, arrived at the school from Venezuela in 2000, and left and came back in 2002 with no place to live. Instead of the housing office, she sought help from the international student services office, and within a week, had an apartment in Suffern.

"I tried to look for an apartment at first, by myself, but as a student, it was very hard," said Salazar. "You have to have a job, and credit, and more than $2,000 a month for rent."

Dell'Arciprete said her office has a strong relationship with Suffern Realtors who called regularly with new listings for students. Originally it made sense that she and Peskin would work together, she said, but it never happened.

Though a growing number of community colleges in New York state either offer or are considering campus dormitories, the college has no such plans in the near future.

Keeley said that in addition to athletes and international students, the office was open to any RCC student in need of housing. He said the college was renewing its housing effort this year and hoped to help more students.

"It's a valuable service that we provide," he said, "and I hope it's as helpful as I think it is."