Dormies hawk contracts
to escape campus living
decide they’d rather “pay a fiat
fee and know that they’ll be get
ting three meals a day,” Romm
says.
The housing office looks to
those students, plus mid-year
transfers, to replace contract
breakers and make up the dif
ference for the approximately
100 students who will withdraw
from the University over the
year.
“We’ve got to make those
replacements,” Romm says.
“The whole crux of the thing is,
we don’t get any money at all
from the state. All financing of
Photo by Doug WBams
dorm housing — operation and
the buying of the buildings —
comes from student room and
board money and summer con
ferences.
“No funds are available to
bail us out if we don’t make our
money. That's why we have
the year contract, to help in
sure that dorms will stay dose
to one hundred percent full for
all three terms.”
Students who withdraw are
automatically released from
contract obligations because
they are no longer considered
University students, he adds.
By MELODY WARD
Of the Emerald
Every term, students adver
tise their exodus from the
dorms.
“HELP. I will pay you to buy
my dorm contract... BEER
and $50 when you buy my
dorm contract," beguile clas
sified ads. Some ads reveal
deeper desperation. “NAME
YOUR PRICE and my dorm
contract is yours!"
Dose to 60 students seek
replacements for themselves
each term, says Dick Romm,
assistant director of dorm
housing.
“I haven't seen the figures
for this week, but people seem
to be finding replacements,” he
says. “It seems to be an aver
age year as far as people who
want out and people who will
replace them."
Reasons for quitting dorm
life are as varied as the ploys
that contract sellers write into
their advertisements. Some
want to escape closed quar
ters, fraternity and sorority
members want to take advan
tage of the chance to get into
their houses, graduate stu
dents desire a quiet place to
live, Romm says.
"Some just have a chance to
save a great deal of money by
moving. Many are upperciass
Minicomputer
organizational
discussion set
The newly-formed Eugene Mic
rocomputer Users Group will hold
an organizational meeting today
at 7 p.m. in the Instructional Media
Center.
Sponsored by Computers in
Education of the University Com
puter Science Department, the
group will work to share the ex
Coeriences, expertise and needs of
minicomputer users.
For more information, call Dan
Isaccson at 686-4424.
EMU bookdrop
collects books
for spring sale
The Friends of the Eugene Pub
lic Library Inc. have placed book
drop barrels in the Lobby of the
EMU and in other sites in Eugene
to gain books for its first book sale,
to be held next spring.
In addition to the EMU book
drop, barrels have been placed at
the Payless Drugstore in the Wil
lamette Plaza, the Williams Bak
ery Thrift Store at 225 River Road
and the Eugene Public Library,
100 W. 13th Ave.
The book sale itself is set for
April 20 and 21 in the Valley River
Center.
For more information call the
Friends at 344-6488.
1 Join us
in the woods.
2165 W. 11th Ave.
woodside
sfc brewery
WsTMmAOT • TAVfWI • DISCO
transfer students who really
didn’t want to live in dorms ex
cept as a chance to meet peo
ple. Now that they’ve met peo
ple they want to move into off
campus housing they couldn’t
get because they didn’t make
the trip out to Eugene before
the term started.”
One contract seller found en
thusiastic response to her ad.
“But I almost lost it because
she asked why I wanted out,”
the graduate student says. “I
told her it was because I felt out
of place (as a graduate stu
dent) and that's when I found
out she was a grad student
too.”
The tactical olip didn't lose
the sale, she explains, be
cause the new contract holder
wanted to try dorm living in the
hope it would be easier to meet
people.
Students who fail to palm
their contracts off must buy
their way out of the dorms,
Romm explains. “They can
either sell the contract, or pay
$1 a day for every day they’re
not here for the rest of the
school year," he says.
The housing office holds
students to the agreement so
that the debt service owed on
dorm buildings will be met at
year’s end.
"A little over $250 per year of
the dorm contract is used to
pay off debt service," Romm
says. “That insures that we can
pay off the debt service even if
we re not able to fill their bed.”
That explains why many
students pay people to take
over contracts. They’d be pay
ing one way or the other and
under the barter system, they
can still save money.
“I’m willing to pay $75,” says
one dorm dweller. “I’d rather
give my money to somebody
who wants to get in here than to
the University."
He says three of his fellow
dorm residents “figured out in
three weeks we didn’t like it
here” and found a three
bedroom house dose to cam
pus. Two of the three have
signed over contracts, and now
the trio awaits the third and
final sale.
“One of us got out on an ath
letic pass and $25... but I’m
ready to go higher if neces
sary," the advertiser claims.
“We sat down and tried to
think of ways to get out, but all
the good and funny ways we
could think of would have lead
to eviction,” he adds. “You’ve
gotta really sink and get down
on your knees and say please,
please help me get outa’ this
pit.’ ”
But while dorm life isn’t for
everyone, there are people
who try living off campus and
TURN YOUR BOOKS INTO CASH?
-
J
BOOK BUYBACK STARTS MONDAY
Thru December 16th.
Our Buyback Policy:
1. You get half-price—
if a faculty member has ordered the book for the upcoming
quarter. However, at times we have more books for a class than
needed and we will not buy these books at half-price.
2. You get Dealer prices—
for those texts not needed on this campus. We’ll pay the price
offered by book dealers, which is based on the need for the book in
the national market.
UO
BOOKSTORE
13th & Kincaid 686-4331
Open: Mon-Fri 8:15-5:30 Sat 10:00-2:00
3. We do not accept
old editions, spiral-bound books, programmed texts, certain inex
pensive paperbacks, workbooks, most consignment material, and
extensively cribbed or damaged books. They are of no value to us or
the used book dealers. We purchase such books only at our option.
When to sell your books—
The buyback counter, located upstairs, is open during our regula.
business hours. It' s not necessary to wait for a specific buying period
to resell your books However, don't wait until the new quarter has
started because we do not buy back books at the beginning of a
quarter.