Off-campus housing website launches

Taylor Harrison

The Student Government Association launched a website in August in an effort to help students find off-campus housing.

The site, which has been in the works since 2009, is now up and running with three apartment listings.

Kendrick Bryan, executive vice president of the SGA, said he and former SGA President Kevin Smiley looked at an off-campus housing website Florida State used as inspiration.

Cory Dodds, director of information technology for the SGA, said the website is “unofficially up.”

“It’s perfectly public, but we haven’t been pushing it yet because we want to get plenty of listings and stuff on there,” Dodds said.

Dodds said any housing provider in Bowling Green is welcome to go onto the website and create an account.

“We’re going to promote it to as many providers as we can,” he said.

The website, wkuoffcampus.com, is set up so that individual providers can supply the information themselves.

Prices will be listed on the website as well as contact information so that interested students can directly contact the providers.

The website is not affiliated with Housing and Residence Life and is completely sponsored by the SGA.

Dodds is hopeful that in the future, people needing roommates will be able to post their information and get connected through the site.

Although the website only has a few listings now, Bryan said that many housing providers have expressed an interest in using the website.

Bryan has been responsible for contacting all of the housing providers, including The Gables, The Registry, College Suites, The Pointe at Western and Chandler Management Company.

More listings will be available pending approval from management.

SGA President Billy Stephens said the SGA wants to allow students the opportunity to view housing options and prices to choose where to live.

“We support this site because we are wanting current students to be able to get fair housing prices throughout the area, as well as providing a one-site stop for housing options that will help ease students’ stress during their decision process,” Stephens said.