Ball State Renter's Guide

PUBLISHED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 2014 RPMA HOUSING FAIR

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2 • Fall 2014 Renter’s Guide

UNIVERSITYAPARTMENTS

BALL STATE

Need a

new place

to call

home?But still

want to be

on campus?

This is the place for you!

Apply online today at bsu.edu/apartments3460 N. Tillotson Ave., Muncie • (765) 285-5095

1, 2, 3 bedroom apartments & townhomesSemester & yearly leases

Free utilities Monthly activities

Rent starts at $333 per personFree campus shuttle & on MITS line

24/7 MaintenanceOn-site laundry

Special!Get $100 off one month’s rent

when signing a new lease.Must present coupon at time of

lease signing.*Offer expires 12/1/14 *Contact office for details

Ball State University Unified Media • 3


Orchard Apartments have more room, so you can have more stuff.

Come by the Housing Fair to check out all 10 of our locations!

720 W. Centennial Ave. irentfromcpm.com

(765) 282-6663

Spacious floor plans • water, sewage and heating included in rent • central air

close to campus • pet friendly on-site washer and dryer

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Browse the guide and then join representatives from on and off campus housing facilities and learn about all the different housing options available. Vendors include: Ball State Housing & Residence Life, Village Promenade,

Orchard Apartments, Peak Property Group, 1700 Apartments, University Estates, Miller Transportation, BioLife, Beacon Hill, Walnut Manor, The Grove

Colonial Crest and Unified Media.

Friday, October 3 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in the Atrium

2014 HOUSING GUIDE AND FAIR


PeakUMuncie.com

765.595.40562720 N. SILVERTREE LANE

RENTSTARTING AT $243

5 FLOOR PLANSUNDER $299

* subject to availability

Affordable Luxury Student Housing | 7 Locations Near Campus

Autumn Breeze • Cardinal Vista • Everbrook Townhomes

Linden Place • Silvertree • Sunreach • Windsong


By now, college students and their fami-lies have moved the clothing, food and

supplies needed to survive another year at school. It’s becoming more common for them to buy their own furniture and acces-sories along with a growing array of pricey must-have technology.

All the more reason for insurance.While renters insurance policies are gain-

ing popularity, it’s still more common for college students not to have coverage. That’s an opportunity for insurance agents. The policies are also a relatively inexpensive way for students to protect their valuables.

“Kids are taking to college with them everything but the kitchen sink,” said Rosanne Placey, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance. “It’s smart, that in the event of damage or theft, there’s a means to replace those items.”

Yet just 12 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds have renters insurance, according to a sur-vey released in August by rate comparison

site InsuranceQuotes.com. That’s low, espe-cially when almost 4 out of 5 adults under 25 live on their own and two-thirds of adults ages 25 to 29 rent their homes.

Kutztown University recommends that all students consider buying a policy to cover any loss or damage to any property, includ-ing computers and electronic equipment.

Alvernia University suggests that students living off campus should buy renters insur-ance and advises students to look into cov-erage from their auto insurance companies.

Most insurance carriers sell renters insur-ance, and the policies are usually inexpen-sive, under $200 per year, said Chantelle Oliver, an insurance consultant with Gallen Insurance, Cumru Township.

“It is getting more and more popular,” Oliver said. “A lot of people used to rely on homeowners insurance. There might be gaps in coverage, so they’re looking for renters insurance for their kids.”

Often, parents will call local insurance

agents to find more information about options for their college-age students. Parents or the college student will follow up to buy a policy.

The coverage needed depends on a stu-dent’s situation, Oliver said.

Full-time students who are under 24 and still considered a resident of their parents’ house probably have coverage under their parents’ homeowners insurance. That insur-ance usually only covers 10 percent of a stu-dent’s personal property. So if parents have a $200,000 personal property limit, their college-bound children would have $20,000 worth of coverage.

That’s a good amount, but there might be a $1,000 deductible on a homeowners policy to replace an $800 laptop, said Kim Unger, vice president and managing partner at Ira G. Mohler & Son Inc., Shillington.

Renters insurance might be a better option for less money.

Don’t forget renters insurance

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8


Plus, some colleges offer insurance or have a relationship with a carrier, which is usually worth investigating, Unger said. For example, he bought a policy when his son was in college. The policy cost $50 a year and didn’t have a deductible.

“It was a nice idea because I don’t have to worry about my homeowners policy,” he said.

Even when a new semester starts, the pol-icies aren’t a significant area of business for insurance companies.

“It’s probably something that a lot of par-ents just overlook,” Unger said. “With the amount of things they have to think about with their student, this isn’t high on the list.”

If a student lives off campus and signs a lease, a renters policy is a good idea because the student will be responsible for the per-sonal property as well as liability, he said.

Some people incorrectly assume a land-

lord’s insurance covers personal property. Actually, some landlords will require tenants to have renters insurance.

The policy also will cover liability.“If you have a theft or a fire that’s caused

by you, or someone slipped and fell in your apartment, it would cover you,” said Mark Lersch, property and casualty bureau director at the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance.

National Student Services Inc. this year added liability coverage as an option to its personal property insurance plans for college students across the country, said Gretchen Cathey, marketing manager.

The Oklahoma company is one of a few companies targeting college students as a niche market. NSSI works with colleges such as Albright College, which gives stu-dents pamphlets about the coverage.

“The resident life staff, they really push this type of product because they see the

value in it,” Cathey said.For example, if a student accidentally sets

off a sprinkler in a dorm, there could be a lot of damage.

NSSI’s coverage doesn’t include the medical liability renters insurance might offer and typically is cheaper, she said. Most customers pay about $115 per year for a policy.

The state Insurance Department recently issued a list of recommendations for col-lege-bound students and their parents. The state recommends understanding details of the policy and creating an inventory with photos, serial numbers and the estimated value of items.

Different endorsements for policies are available as well, such as identification theft and water damage. Especially popular is additional coverage for damages to comput-ers, Oliver said.

— McClatchy Tribune

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

“It’s probably something that a lot of parents just overlook. With the amount of things they have to think about with their student, this isn’t high on the list.”

— KIM UNGER, VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING PARTNER AT IRA G. MOHLER & SON INC.


Get

a N

ew Lease on Life!

THE HOUSING GUIDEExplore On & Off Campus Options atBallStateDaily.com/Housing


As you pay your rent each month, have you ever stopped to consider how much money an apartment community takes in? Do the math and you’ll realize that the apartment industry is big business!

According to statistics from the National Apartment Association, the average apartment community is val-ued at over $20 million, with an annual budget of over $2 million. The industry employs nearly 700,000 individuals nationwide in on-site positions to serve the needs of over 35 million apartment residents. As more people are turning to renting instead of buying, and more apartment commu-nities are being built, this has become a multi-billion-dollar industry.

Apartment industry profes-sionals meet the basic housing needs of their residents, but go the extra mile to provide outstanding amenities and personal attention… like a dog park, on-site movie theatre, transportation, social events, and spa facilities.

In addition to serving the needs of the residents, pro-fessional property managers address the investment inter-ests of the building owners by acting as the owner’s agent. This requires a vast amount of skill and knowledge in legal, financial, construction, marketing, management, and customer service issues.

Property management pro-fessionals are well-compensat-ed for their skills and knowl-edge with generous salaries, plus bonuses and commission for meeting and exceeding company goals. Standard

employee benefits include life insurance, health insurance, paid vacation, and retirement plans. Unique to this industry is a housing benefit that pro-vides reduced or free rent for on-site staff.

The Residential Property Management (RPM) Program at Ball State University pro-vides students with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the property management industry. Located in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, the RPM Program includes several aca-demic options: an undergrad-uate RPM major, RPM minor, and Apartment Management Certificate, as well as a gradu-ate option in RPM.

As one of only a few RPM academic programs nation-wide, Ball State students are in high demand for internships and permanent positions in the apartment industry. Many students have interned and/or are engaged in successful careers throughout Indiana, but also in Chicago, Seattle, Phoenix, Denver, Austin, and Washington, DC. Students receive multiple offers for internships and permanent positions, sometimes a year in advance.

Reports from employers indicate that the students are in high demand due to the combination of outstanding classroom instruction coupled with practical application through multiple job shadow-ing experiences, field trips, internships, and hands-on projects.

Added to the excellent education are the networking

APARTMENTS: Not just a great place to live, but a

great place to work

OFF-CAMPUS?COMMUTING?

Learn more at www.bsu.edu/dining(Meal Plans > Off-Campus Students)

Meal Block 25 (Any 25 meals) $206Meal Block 50 (Any 50 meals) $403Meal Block 75 (Any 75 meals) $594Meal Block 100 (Any 100 meals) $774Any 5 Meals (Any 5 meals/week, $50 Dining Plus) $661/semester

2014-15 Plans (Academic Year)

Dining’s convenient hours and locations make grabbing a meal between classes, work, and meetings simple. Let us take care of all the grocery shopping, cooking, and dirty dishes!

There’s a BSU Dining meal plan for you.

COLUMN | BY RPMA

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12


LUXURY APARTMENTSYour no-hassle option for Ball State living.

2 bedroom, 2 bath apartments, all utilities included.

17hundred.net • (317) 281-2918 • 1700 N. Rosewood, Muncie

Check us out online!bsu-rpma.comFacebook/[email protected]/fcs/rpm

Who are we?We are Ball State undergraduate and graduate students with a variety of majors and minors interested in property management.

What do we do?We have a variety of activities including bi-monthly meetings, partnerships with industry professionals, guest speakers,

field trips, networking opportunities, and leadership opportunities.

Residential Property Management Association


The Ball State University Residential Property Management (RPM) Program

was only the second academic program of its kind when it started in 1999. Today, Ball State remains one of only a few universities that offer education in property management, especially at the graduate level. But with the growing number of apartment communities, and the increased need to prepare an educat-ed talent pool for these communities, alumni of the Ball State RPM Program are contrib-uting to property management education in a number of ways.

When Sarah Rentschler completed her undergraduate degree in Residential Property Management, she first worked for the Edward Rose Company at an apart-ment community in Midlothian, VA. She quickly moved up through the ranks to become manager of the community, and then to the corporate office in Indianapolis where she held several positions and ulti-mately served as Director of Professional Development. With a passion for education, Sarah completed a dual Master’s degree in both Executive Development for Public Service and Adult, Higher, and Community Education. She now teaches in the Ball State RPM Program.

At Ball State, Kay Piotrowicz earned her undergraduate degree in Interior Design, and then earned two Master’s degrees, in Technology Education and in Residential Property Management. Kay has several years of industry experience…

first with Flaherty & Collins Properties in Indianapolis, and now with Lauth Properties in Indianapolis. That industry experience has been very helpful as she teaches in the Ball State RPM Program.

As a property manager for a local senior housing community, teaching Senior Housing has been a perfect fit for RPM alumnus Allison Fry. And teaching the Housing Decisions course has been a great fit for RPM alumnus Lindsey Kesler. Lindsey currently serves as a property manager in Indianapolis with the JC Hart Co., but has had professional experience with other housing communities in Colorado and Illinois.

Erin Kleefisch is new this semester as Instructor and Director of the Ball State RPM Program. She, too, completed her degrees at Ball State, earning her Master’s degree in Residential Property Management. Her pro-fessional experiences in student housing and project management of a variety of building types, coupled with her RPM education, make her well-suited for her new role.

Another RPM alumnus serves as Assistant Professor and Program Director of the property management and real estate academic program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. TJ Fields earned an MBA as well as a Master’s degree in Residential Property Management from Ball State, and then managed multiple apartment communities for Weidner Apartment Homes in Anchorage before accepting the full-time position in higher

education.Other alumni from the Ball State RPM

Graduate Program have provided education-al assistance to the program in other ways:

• Casey Rusk serves as Director of Resi-dential Services for Milhaus Development in Indianapolis. As his Creative Project for his graduate degree, Casey developed a learning module on social media marketing for the RPM course FCPM 275 Marketing & Leasing. He returns to campus periodi-cally to share the results of his project.

• Danny Spindler, President of Given & Spindler Companies based in Evansville, developed the framework for a course in Commercial Property Management for his grad program project. There are tentative plans to offer the course as a seminar in the future.

• RPM grad student Katelyn Neary will complete her degree in December. Her project goals are to redesign the course FCPM 585 Advanced RPM Simulation around a property management case study.

The Ball State RPM Program is well-po-sitioned to not only meet the needs of the property management industry, but to also impact the future of higher education in property management. For more informa-tion about the RPM Graduate Program contact Program Director Erin Kleefisch at [email protected] or Graduate Program Adviser Dr. Carol Friesen at [email protected]. There is more information at www.bsu.edu/rpm.

opportunities provided by the RPM Advisory Board. Over 30 property management professionals, representing regional and national com-panies, meet with students at least twice a year for net-working and awards events.

In addition, these program supporters serve as classroom speakers, field trip hosts, internship supervisors, and clients for projects. The men-toring relationship between students and members of the advisory board extends beyond the students’ time on

campus, generating lifelong professional friendships.

Apartments are certainly more than a great place to live. The apartment industry can also be a great career.

For more information on the Ball State RPM Program, con-tact Erin Kleefisch, Instructor/

Program Director at [email protected]; Dr. Carla Earhart, Professor/Academic Adviser at [email protected]; or Dr. Carol Friesen, Associate Professor/Graduate Program Adviser at [email protected]. See the RPM website at www.bsu.edu/rpm.

RPM alumni serve higher education in a number of ways

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Today, Ball State remains one of only a few universities that offer education in property management, especially at the graduate level. But with the growing number of apartment communities, and the increased need to prepare an educated talent pool for these communities, alumni of the Ball State RPM Program are

contributing to property management education in a number of ways.


|ClassifiedsDN

(765) 285-8247 | [email protected] 285, Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. | BallStateDaily.com/Classified

Looking for your next place?

Need to rent out your place, sell your stuff, or find a new roomie but don’t have the cash to get the word out?Students can advertise for FREE in the DN Classifieds!Just present your Ball State ID to schedule your free 3-line ad.**Certain restrictions apply. Email [email protected] for more information.

It’s listed in the


The Three Little PigsThe House that Jack BuiltLittle House on the Prairie

What do these classic tales have in common? They all focus on houses. But with the increase in the number of peo-ple living in apartments, Dr. Carla Earhart wants to make sure that children’s literature is keeping up with contem-porary housing options and reaching a broad audience of impressionable children.

Earhart is a faculty member in the Residential Property Management Program in the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences. In 2012 she directed an immersive learning project at the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry, which resulted in the development of a Facebook page, a website, and an Emmy-nominated documenta-ry on the topic of children and their perceptions of various housing options. Her next project takes this concept to the next level.

Just as children of various races, religions, and abilities need to see positive images of people like themselves, children living in apartments need to see positive role mod-els in the stories they read. With several local apartment communities as community partners, Earhart proposes to increase the availability of apartment-related storybooks for children in the Muncie area. This is the focus of an immersive learning project

planned for Spring 2015, with options for interested students to continue the project into Summer 2015.

Earhart says it is important to get these books in the hands of children living in apartments as well as those living in other types of housing options. Children liv-ing in apartments need to feel good about them-selves and where they live. And children living in a house need greater exposure to the positive aspects of apartment living. Today’s children are our future housing consumers and future housing leaders, so it’s important that all children be exposed to a broad range of housing options.

Ball State students from a variety of majors will be recruited to carry out the goals of this immersive learning project. Students will be need-ed to assist with housing-re-lated content and activities, child-related content and activ-ities, writing, filming, web-site design, project logistics, and publicity. Information sessions will be held later in Fall semester to share more information about this project. Students interested in attending an information session should contact Earhart at [email protected] for more details.

Housing heroes in children’s storybooksCOLUMN | BY RPMA

Just as children of various races, religions, and abilities need to see positive images of people like themselves, children living in apartments need to see positive role models in the stories they read.


HOUSING FAIR

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housing facilities and learn about all the

different housing options available!

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