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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2005)
r\ i Protected possessions Renter's insurance can provide peace of mind for students in the event of fire, burglary or accident BY KATY GAGNON DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER 1" ast fall, senior journalism major Stacey McFarlane and her housemates held a party to celebrate their roommate’s 22nd birthday. They strung decorations across the walls, placed a tapped keg in the kitchen closet and shielded every entryway with “no minors allowed” signs. McFarlane and her roommates took every precaution to throw a safe college party. By 11 p.m., party-goers filled the first floor and spilled onto the back porch. Everyone was having a great time. But McFarlane’s fun was cut short when she realized her flat-screen computer moni tor and her entire CD collection had been stolen during the festivities. The items amounted to nearly a thousand dollars’ worth of property, and because she didn’t have insurance, McFarlane is still trying to replace them. This kind of situation could happen to anyone, as most students do not have their belongings insured. In fact, many students might not know renter’s insurance exists. Education major Emily Bolles, a renter for three years, never considered renter’s insur ance and was not even sure what the term implied. Many student renters assume their parents’ or landlord’s insurance will cover them when the unforeseen occurs. The real ity is that unless students live in the resi dence halls where their parents’ insurance will protect their items from theft or dam age, student renters are left uninsured. As a college student on a budget, Bolles said if she was considering renter’s insurance, “it would depend on how much it cost.” Renter’s insurance is fairly inexpensive. Jim Rodeen of Jim Rodeen Insurance said $100 per year will cover everything inside a residence, or up to $25,000 worth of items. This way, for example, tenants will be cov ered if their house or apartment burns down. While a landlord’s insurance will cover the actual building in a fire, stu dents without renter’s insurance will be left on their own to replace damaged belong ings such as a stereo, television, computer or wardrobe. Rodeen said another benefit to renter’s in surance is liability coverage. If someone gets hurt on a student’s property, he or she will be covered. For instance, renter’s insurance can help students out if a friend falls down the stairs, breaks a leg and decides to sue. Renter’s insurance will also cover person al belongings when they are in transit, as when a television breaks while being moved. When purchasing renter’s insurance, stu dents should look at how their policy will re place lost or damaged items. The two op tions are Actual Cost Value or Replacement Cost Value. An ACV policy will reimburse students for the value of the item at the time of loss. For instance, if students lose a 5-year-old couch in a fire, they will only be reimbursed for the projected value of that couch. However, an RCV policy will reim burse them the cost of replacing that item, regardless of its age or condition. “It’s not to your advantage to have an ACV policy,” said Rodeen, whose office does not offer such policies. In addition, renter’s insurance can help students establish a presence in the insur ance community. “When you get into the world and buy a home, you already have an insurance back ground,” Rodeen said. In all, renter’s insurance can be a major investment that comes at a minor price. “Insurance is piece of mind,” Rodeen said. “It’s knowing that if something hap pens, it’s going to be replaced.” Chic decor for cheap Students on a budget can decorate their residences by turning recycled materials into functional and visually pleasing furniture BY MOLLY COONEY-MESKER DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER Old furniture is no longer ugly. It is fresh, hip and aesthetically pleasing, not to mention beneficial for a college student. Furnishing a home or apartment no longer involves a maxed-out credit card and a Pier One catalogue. Recycling Warehouse in south Eugene may be the final desti nation for unwanted bicycles, broken plumbing, cracked win dows and forgotten children’s toys, but students who take a closer look will see it is really a collection of reusable items begging to be made into tables, chairs, shelves and art pieces. It is nrp^ni7Pri rhans epnaratpH lociay, turniture “shopping” can be an adventure, a project and an expense-free en deavor. Making furni ture out of recy cled material FOR MORE INFORMATION To learn more about how to make items out of recycled materials such as CD spindles, visit www.readymademag.com. into a workshop full of doors, an other full of jars and vases and yet another packed with old light fix tures. BRING em doesn’t require a degree or car pentry expertise. According to an April 17 Oregonian article, “The recycle aesthetic,” this trend “is not just using old stuff, but transforming it, often de constructing it, giving it new life, and ultimately new identity.” Collecting materials for furni ture does not call for Dumpster diving or digging through curb side trash and recycling. BRING nin said “reuse is much better than recycling; there’s zero waste.” Old doors and windows can be transformed into ideal table tops. When perched atop an old workbench frame or mounted onto reused wooden legs, a window becomes a cof fee table complete with funky hinges and latches. Doors can act as a bed frame: T\vo doors secured onto solid-end supports such as wooden boxes can form a queen- or king-size bed. Fruit, milk and wine crates can be transformed without setting a finger on a hammer or nails. A crate flipped on its side can make a sturdy bedside table; stack two on top of each other, and a bookshelf is bom. One of the most under-used resources for creating practical ly anything is the shipping pal let. This is a good source of sol id wood that can easily be converted into chairs, tables and shelves. When it comes to decorating, buying small trinkets can be costly and time consuming. In stead, look for jars to use as vases. Wire can be bent, warped and twisted to create a light fixture. Reused furniture design is about more than just inexpen sive, original, cutting-edge decor. It is also about being part of a growing trend, a new generation of consumers who are making sustainable choices without sacrificing style. Rentals: Extra amenities included Continued from page 2B Ping-Pong and foosball. The furnished apart ments also have a full-size washer and dryer, private bedrooms, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and an electronic alarm system. Like Duck’s, University Commons has indi vidual leases and a student-matching system to pair roommates with similar interests. University Commons offers specials on four bedroom apartments for students who have al ready selected their roommates. University Commons has one, two and four bedroom apartments with a 12 or 10-month lease. COMPARISON Duck’s Village 12-month lease 10-month lease 1 bedroom $665 per month $675 per month 2 bedroom $390 per person $400 per person 3 bedroom $355 per person $365 per person 4 bedroom $370 per person $380 per person University Commons Full-term lease Academic-term lease 1 bedroom $625 per month N/A 2 bedroom $410 per person $460 per person 4 bedroom $355 per person $395 per person 022220 HOUSES, APARTMENTS! WWW. CAMPUS RENTAL .COM STUDIOS, QUADS „der Street i_1360 Alder_ From $289/mo. Taking Fall Reservations • Great summer rates • FREE Utilities • 1/2 Block To U of O • Quiet Policy • No Pets r • On-Site Laundry/Parking FREE INTERNET I'nipcriv Mimmtimvm Recti Estate 1339 Oak St., Suite 1 434-9340 1411A St Springfield 746-9036 LU 0 < ImmI > Ui 0 o E 1 BEDROOM UNITS • 2.5 miles from UO. • On bus line. • Dishwashers. cc CL if) Clean & Affordable Sorry, no pets.
