2012 Spring Housing Guide

2 The Daily Beacon • Housing Guide Spring 2012 • Advertising Supplement

HOUSING GUIDE • SPRING 2012An Advertising Supplement of The Daily Beacon

ADVERTISING MANAGERShannon Thomas

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFBlair Kuykendall

CHIEF COPY EDITORRobbie Hargett

CONTRIBUTORSLauren Kittrell • Tia Patron

Preston Peeden • Victoria Wright

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVESNick Marchant • Adrian St. Amant

ADVERTISING PRODUCTIONKrystal Oliva • Anna Simanis

The Daily Beacon is an editorially independent studentnewspaper at The University of Tennessee. The office islocated at 1340 Circle Park Drive, 11 CommunicationsBuilding, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. Callers with ques-tions about advertising should call 865-974-5206.Editorial questions should be directed to 865-974-3226.

WELCOME!Thanks for grabbing this issue! The advertising representatives at The Daily Beacon have collaboratedwith apartments as well as leasing agencies in order to bring you The Spring 2012 Housing Guide.

Our main goal is to insure that University of Tennessee students receive all of the information they need toknow before searching for their next place to call home. In this issue, you will find information about securityand renter’s insurance, important numbers to know, tips for finding a roommate, questions to ask future land-lords, as well as other important stories. By benefitting students, apartments and leasing agencies, we hope tomake this guide a must-have for all student apartment hunters.

Shannon ThomasAdvertising Manager

3Spring 2012 • Advertising Supplement The Daily Beacon • Housing Guide

7.Are any utilities included in the agreement?If they are not included, you will most likely need to contact KUB and Comcast on your own. If you have roommates, you should decide whose name will be onthe account before making the calls.

9.Is there an office on-site or a 24-hour phonenumber in case of emergency?This is extremely important. If something happens in the middle of the night,whether it be a maintenance emergency or you getting locked out, you need toknow that someone will be able to help you quickly.

10. How is waste removal handled? Is recycling available?On move-in day, you will undoubtedly have a lot of trash to throw out. You willneed to know where the dumpsters are located. Also, when you get settled, youmay like to know if you should drop off your recyclables at your complex’s recy-cling bin or if you will need to make a trip to the recycling center each time.

8.Can I paint walls or make other decorative changes?Some apartment complexes allow you to paint the walls if you paint them backwhen you move; others do not. Also, some complexes do not like for you to usenails in the walls because of the holes they leave. While this is probably not a deal-breaker for you, it could make your decorating more difficult.

5.What are the terms for renewing the lease? Am I allowed tomove to a new apartment on the property?Some complexes only consider it renewing if you sign the lease for the exact same location.This may affect your receiving the perks that complexes sometimes offer for renewing, such asfree parking or reduced rent.

6. Are pets allowed?If you want a pet, would you need to pay an extra fee every month or is it just aone-time fee? If you do not want a pet, you should decide if living around otherpets is OK with you and if the grounds are kept clean.

3.How much are rent and deposit fees, and whenis rent for the first month due?These amounts are very important to know. Deposit fees are often due whenyou sign the lease or shortly after. You will need to know exactly how much youowe when signing the lease and how much you will need for rent before arrivingon move-in day.

4.Is there a grace period after the monthly rental due date?Many apartment complexes let you have until the fifth of the month, but some do not.Make sure you find out when the last day to pay rent is and what the penalty charges arefor late rent.

2.Is the lease for 9 or 12 months?If you are not planning on staying over the summer, a 9-month lease may be more your style.

1.When can I move in?If the move-in date does not work for you, try tonegotiate a better time with the landlord/ old tenants.

Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Future Landlord

Living with roommates canbe hard, but studies show taking ini-tiative to improve roommate relation-ships can produce positive results.

According to research conductedby psychologists Jennifer Crockerand Amy Canevello at the U-MInstitute for Social Research in theSeptember 2008 issue of the Journalof Personality and Social Psychology,

college roommates can become closefriends as long as each student iswilling to compromise.

The research found that in orderto beat loneliness and build a significant relationship, roommatesneed to sacrifice their “ego-system”approach and move towards an “eco-system” approach. Moving from oneapproach to another means each per-son must give up their selfish desiresand practice a more genuine compas-sion for the other person.

Matthew Keylon lives with tworoommates in Quarry Trail apart-ments. He keeps conflict minimal tomaintain a positive relationship withhis roommates.

“We all came from the same highschool and have known each otherour entire lives,” Keylon, senior injournalism and electronic media,said. “We don’t have too many con-

flicts. Usually I just let it slide tokeep the peace in the apartment. I’mnot a very confrontational person.”

Though Keylon tries to avoid con-flict, sometimes differences in per-sonalities cannot be ignored.

“The most negative aspect is thedifferent personalities,” Keylon said.“One of my roommates and I arepretty neat, and the other roommatecan be pretty messy at times so thatcan be tough to deal with.”

According to an article in MSNReal Estate, students should

approach roommate conflict by utilizing common skills of“Communication 101.” In the article,roommates should prevent blamingeach other for the problem andinstead talk with each other in acomfortable situation where eachperson is more likely to be tactful inthe conversation.

The article also said peopleshould conduct a self-analysis ofthemselves to see how they might becontributing to the issue.

Malea Hinson, junior in communi-cation studies, lives with one room-mate in Laurel Hall. She finds direct-ly confronting issues hard, but man-ages.

“It’s hard for me to handle room-mate conflict, but after a while Iwork up the courage to talk to themabout whatever the problem is,”Hinson said. “I also like to come upwith a solution prior to confronting

them. I think it would be easier tohandle conflict if I’m living with afriend.”

Lindsey Hughes, graduate andMBA student, currently lives withtwo roommates. She said the rela-tionships are good, but remembers aparticularly stressful time when liv-ing with three roommates during hersophomore year of undergrad.

“This one girl kind of became real-ly anti-social and just stayed in herroom,” Hughes said. “We couldn’treally figure out what was going on.

She never went to class and shenever really talked to us.”

Hughes and her other two room-mates attempted to build a relation-ship with the girl, but their effortswere fruitless.

“It was hard when you’re withsomeone who won’t talk to you andis kind of locking you out whenyou’re trying to help them, but youdon’t know how,” Hughes said.

Hughes said that by her senioryear, all the roommates became cor-dial, but still were not close friendswith the girl. She believes that whenbeing assigned a roommate, getting acompatible one is based on luck.

Though having roommates canbring a slew of conflicts, most stu-dents agree that the positives out-weigh the negatives.

The conclusions drawn from theJournal of Personality and SocialPsychology study find that roommate

relationships rely on each person’sability to compromise and release a“me-first” approach.

Crocker said in the journal, “stu-dents can be the architects of theirroommate relationships, enhancingor undermining the quality of theseimportant relationships.”

Sophomore Kierra Gloston liveswith three roommates in Gatewayapartments and believes havingroommates is beneficial overall .

“It can be beneficial if youapproach and handle all situations

responsibly and respectfully,”Gloston said.

Gloston said some of the benefitsof having roommates include receiv-ing homework help or simply havingsomeone to talk to.

Malea Hinson agrees and believesliving without roommates would beisolating.

“Living with a roommate or room-mates in college is always more ben-eficial,” Hinson said. “We are allgoing through the same things, andit would be extremely lonely to be byyourself.”

According to an article onLiveStrong.com, having a roommateprovides the possibility of makinglife-long friends.

“I think it is extremely benefi-cial,” Keylon said. “The roommatespeople have in college are friendsthat they have for life.”


Living With a Roommate: An Issue of Compassion and CompromiseVictoria WrightStudent Life Editor


• KUB

• Health Department

• Fire Department

• UTPD

• KPD

• Student Health Clinic

• Comcast

• DirecTV

• Dish Network

Important

865-524-2911

865-215-5000

865-595-4480

865-215-7000

865-974-3648

1-866-922-8128

1-855-482-0748

1-888-232-8689

Emergency: 865-974-3111

Main Phone: 865-974-3114

NUMBERStoKnowRoommate Question Checklist

1. How much time will you spend at the apartment? – You need to decide if youwant a roommate who is always around to hangout with or if you would prefer hav-ing your space. Once you decide this, you need to choose someone who meets yourchoice.

2. What time do you usually get up in the morning? – If you are a late sleeper andthey wake up early, it may not be the best fit.

3. Do you have any furniture? – If you do not have any furniture you should thinkabout finding a future roommate who does, so you will not need to spend a lot ofmoney.

4. Do you smoke? – You need to first decide if you are able to live with a smoker, ifnot, then you need to cross them off your list.

5. Do you have any pets? – Are you okay with living with a pet and would you bewilling to take care of it if the roommate is gone for a weekend or at work.

Searching for a roommate is not something that should be taken lightly. Youneed to remember that you will be spending much of your time and spacewith this person, so you will need to be compatible. There are websites andservices that can help you with the search as well, but you need to make sureto thoroughly screen those candidates before agreeing to anything.


The choice to live on or offcampus is a choice that must bemade during the course of a collegestudent’s life.

It’s the one choice every collegestudent has to make, and the onechoice that can make or break a stu-dent’s collegiate experience.

Towards the end of each year, thepros and cons begin to flash throughone’s mind and command the atten-tion of theundecided.Between travelexpenses, rentand groceries,the cost of liv-ing over thedelight of mov-ing out of thedorm holds oneof the most dif-ficult decisions.

While stay-ing on campusoften works asa good optionfor those whoprefer a life ofease, ChristineWilt, sopho-more infinance, saidshe enjoys thefreedom thatliving off cam-pus provides.Wilt currentlylives inGateway apartments and enjoys thenear proximity to campus withoutthe restrictions of on-campus living.

“I really enjoy being able to havemy own room, and that there aren’trules to when or how long people canvisit,” Wilt said.

Even just having extra space and aliving area adds to the delight of off-campus housing. Kyle Saylor, juniorin chemical engineering, said thatthough he misses the convenience ofliving on campus and enjoyed histime there, having his own room and

kitchen is worth the move.“The freedom that comes with liv-

ing off campus is great,” Saylor said.“The space is great, the privacy isgreat, and the kitchen, living roomand individual bedroom that you cangain from moving off campus is notjust great, but totally awesome.”

While staying on campus mayseem like the best option, a closerlook can prove otherwise. From theoutset, dorms with laundry rooms,cafeterias within walking distanceand little need for driving appearmuch less expensive than the off-cam-

pus apartmentsthat lack thoseluxuries, but itis often morecostly.Surprisingly,one of the prosof living offcampus is thatit can actuallybe less expen-sive.

“My lease,when com-bined with theutilities I haveto pay eachmonth, is lessthan what itwould cost tolive on campus,and all I haveto do is give upsome conven-iences andwalk an extramile or two

every day: sacrifices that I am willingto make,” Saylor said.

Splitting rent with roommates, notpaying for unused meal plans andskipping out on expensive campusstores are all ways students are ableto save money in housing. For Wilt,riding the bus to and from campusday in and day out makes living offcampus less expensive than the alternative.

“It is definitely less expensive tolive off campus for me,” Wilt said. “Ihave to pay for a bus pass, but youget your money’s worth pretty

quickly.”Wilt isn’t the only student who has

managed to beat the system. Saylor iscurrently staying in Crown apart-ments in the Fort Sanders area and isable to walk rather than drive to cam-pus.

“I walk to campus, so no gasmoney,” Saylor said. “The price ofparking is about the same betweenmy unused commuter parking passand my apartment parking pass.”

The choice seems obvious, but aswith all decisions, there are bothsides to the argument. Both Saylorand Wilt felt the difficulty of not liv-ing on campus. Having a place tocrash in between classes is alwayspleasant, but, unfortunately, there isnot off-campus housing that offersthis.

Missing sleep can be the determin-ing factor in this decision. Wilt saidthat one thing she has had to adjustto while living off campus is thechange in down time as opposed to

living in a dorm.“I miss how convenient (living on

campus) was,” Wilt said. “Now I haveto get up a lot earlier so that I cancatch the bus to go, and if I miss it Iend up being 30 minutes late to class,which is frustrating.”

The breakdown comes down tocomfort and ease versus expense.Living in a campus dorm providessafety, comfort and ease, while livingoff campus can be more freeing andless expensive, but the difference isminimal.

The decision comes down to theindividual student and what is bestfor him or her. For Wilt and Saylor,living off campus has been the rightdecision.

“I feel that from an economicstandpoint apartment living is muchless expensive than living on cam-pus,” Saylor said. “But even whenyou just consider expenses and noth-ing else, apartment living still comesout on top.”


Lauren KittrellNews Editor

The Great Debate: On-Campus versus Off-Campus Living

“The freedom that comes

with living off-campus is

great... The space is great,

the privacy is great, and the

kitchen, living room and

individual bedroom that you

can gain from moving off

campus is not just great, but

totally awesome ”

– Kyle SaylorJunior in Chemical Engineering


Pulling the Plug on Your Expensive Utility BillsSeveral tips and tricks to help take the monthly sting out of your bank account

1. Learn to live without cable.While the channels are nice, the high monthly cost is not. Use online streaming services such as Hulu, Roku, or Netflix to stay up-to-date on your favorite shows.

2. Turn off lights when not using them.Although simple, this is something that we all forget to do from time to time. Stay vigilant!

3. Stay away from the thermostat.Heating and air conditioning make up some of the largest

costs on your electric bill. Learn to live at 68° in the win-ter and 75° in the summer. Sweaters and box fans areyour friends here, people.

4. Unplug large appliances when not in use.Remember that TV in the back room you’re no longer using? Guess what: it is still draining electricity. Keeping appliances unplugged when not in use will help stop parasitic drains, which can add up to large savings.

5. Check windows and doors for proper insulation and leaks.Checking for airflow around windows and doors can help save you significant money on your bill. Hanging heavy curtains or using a towel to stop air leaks will keep your air conditioning or heating from escaping.

6. Make sure your air filter is always in-date and changed accordingly.Keeping your HVAC unit running as effectively as possible will not only help keep your bills down, but keep you healthier as well. Keep the air filter clean and change it every 90 days (60 if you have pets or allergies). Check with your landlord- often they are responsible for this.

7. Conserve water.Often overlooked due to not having the high sticker shock of electricity, it is still a good idea to conserve water. Turning off the water while brushing your teeth and using only the amount of water that is needed to wash dishes are two easy ways to save.


Apartment Hunter’s Checklist

• Location of building (safety, proximity to places you visit often)

• Location in building (bottom floorsmay be less safe; upper floors are harderto move into)

• Is your apartment pet-friendly?

• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms?

• Furnished or unfurnished?

• What appliances are included?

• Do you want a place where cable isincluded in rent or pay for it on top ofutilities?

• Outlets in all rooms (plentiful, safe,well located)

• Is a monthly pest service provided?

• Laundry facilities (in apartment, on-site, off-site)

• Parking (paid building parking or off-street)

• Neighborhood flavor: Are these yourideal neighbors?

• Does the complex have an on-sitelandlord and/or security system?

Whether you go on-campus, in the Fort or off-campus, youshould start your search by listing your top priorities. What canyou not live without, and what are you willing to sacrifice? Takecopies of this checklist with you as you look — or steal someideas and make a list of your own.

Some design tips foradding style- withoutbreaking your budget.

Decorate4 LESSChange lampshades instead of replacing the whole lamp. You can also add accessoriesto your old lampshades, such as glue-on flowers. Or a piece of fabric attached to the shadealso adds color.

Go to thrift stores to find old or used decorations for less. One man’s trashis another man’s treasure.

Use paint chips to create fun wall-art. Grab a few paint chips at yourlocal paint store, cut them into shapes and glue them on a poster,

canvas or even a piece of wood to make a nice do-it-yourself wall decora-tion.

Frame old posters instead of buying new or pre-framed ones. This will make theposters look new and different because you have added a colored and/or interestingframe.

Use wine bottles or old glass bottles as vases. You can add river rocks to themto add a touch of color.

Make a bulletin board out of an old frame and a piece of cork board. You canalso make a chalkboard with chalkboard paint and a piece of wood inside the frame.


With the fall fast approaching, many students arestarting the arduous search for a new place tolive. But finding a place is only half of the battle.Once a suitable location is found, the journey tofind a new living place is not over. Whether youlive in the Fort, around campus or even away fromcampus, there are certain aspects of moving in toand getting your apartment set up that are univer-sal.

One of the first things to do in a new apart-ment is to learn the guide-lines. Are you allowed tomake alterations, like nail-ing up pictures, paintingover preexisting walls oreven replacing old wallpa-per for something closerto your own personalstyle? Also, be sure to askabout the building’s petpolicy. These questionsand others about the basicrules for your place onlytake about a minute to goover and can lead to lessproblems down the road.

After asking your land-lord about the preexistingrules for you place, ifalterations and pets areallowed, then it is impor-tant to get to work early.If your new place allowspets and you have a furryfriend, then it is impor-tant to try to get into theplace a day or two beforeyou move in en masse.Check the cabinets inyour kitchen and yourlaundry room; if they arein reach of any pet, checkand see if the latch is stur-dy. If not, try to find somechildproof latches to keepyour items safe and, moreimportantly, your pets outof harm’s way. Other smallpet-friendly alterations include: making sure thereare no dangling wires, covering all uncoveredheating and air vents and also trying to move alltrash cans behind either a latched room or pur-chasing lids for all open-faced trash cans. (This isa two-fold solution as it helps prevent messes inyour home and also help curb your pet’s tempta-tion.)

As for making alterations to where you live, itis important to try to start with a clean slate.

Regardless of how much you want to change,whether it be just adding a picture to a wall orcompletely repainting and rearranging your livingroom, the best way to get an accurate reading onwhat you’re dealing with is to completely cleanthe entire space. Though it may be terribly time-consuming, cleaning the floorboards, baseboardsand windows will never again be this easy, asthere are no accessories to impede your progress.Also, try to clean out the oven and the refrigeratorthoroughly. By taking the extra step in makingsure everything in your place is as clean as possi-ble, you can gain the most accurate picture ofwhat you are dealing with. Knowing that you have

a much nicer looking floor than it first appearedcan save you the hassle of trying to haul in a largerug or even a new carpet.

Following the cleaning process, the actualprocess of moving in can finally begin. There arenot many necessary tips for this step outside ofthe obvious. If something seems too heavy for oneperson then call up a friend. It is better to incon-venience one person for an hour than to drop andbreak your armoire beyond repair. Also, remember

to always lift with your back. The only thing moreannoying than the entire move-in process is mov-ing in while having a pulled muscle in your back.

After all of your possessions are inside andsafe, it is time to make a quick inventory of yourapartment needs. Do you have shampoo, bugspray or dish detergent? Go around and look foranything and everything that you might be miss-ing. Once you have an idea of the things you need,make a list and run to your local superstore. Onceyou know what you need, it will not take morethan a couple minutes to accomplish any of yourshopping needs. Procrastination is the bane of anysuccessful movement. It is always better to get the

things you need as quick-ly as possible. There isnothing worse than beingstuck halfway throughyour first shower beforerealizing that you arewithout shampoo, soapand conditioner.

Once you have startedthe basics for gettingyour place to resemblethe home you want it to,it is a must to try to fig-ure out the surroundingarea you now live in. Goout for a quick walkaround the area. Look outfor any markets, stores orrestaurants. If you see aplace to your liking, walkin and check out the sur-roundings. The smallpizza place a block downthe road can become afavorite meeting place oran after-school unwindinglocation; all that isrequired is a little initia-tive. Also, if there are anymarkets in the area, thenit is a must to stop in andget some supplies. Thereis an old tradition that

when moving in to a newhome, it is customary tobring along with youbread and salt, so as to

ensure that you and whoever is living with youwill never go completely hungry. Whether or notyou adhere to traditions, it is still important to tryto grab some supplies. With all of the moving,cleaning and rearranging that moving in canrequire, it is almost a certainty that you and thepeople helping you will get hungry and thirsty atsome point. Better to be prepared with a refrigera-tor stocked with cold drinks and snacks, than tobe caught empty-handed with a gaggle of unruly

Preston PeedenManaging Editor

The Daily Beacon’s Guide for Turning a House into a Home

The importance of finding a theme cannot be understated. Here this living room doubles as an islandgetaway for weary college students.

Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon


helpers.Now that you have a general idea on the layout

of your new place and your surrounding neigh-borhood, it is time to start trying to transformwhere you’re living into something that resem-bles what you want it to be. Start with yourown room first and work out from there. Thefirst thing to pick out for your room is the bed-ding. There are a million shades of paints, and anearly endless number options for wall decora-tions, but there is only a finite number ofoptions when it comes down to how you sleep.The bed is the focal point of your room — onceyou have the desired bedding, everything elsebecomes simpler. Use the type of bedding andits colors as a template for how the rest of yourroom is arranged. Once the bedroom is finished,the rest of your living space becomes even easi-er. Just like with the bedding choice, your bed-room serves as the basis for the rest of yourhome’s arrangements and decorations. The easi-est way to make your place unique to your owntastes and styles while still looking appealing toothers is to find a common theme and stickwith it. If your bedroom is a very mild, softcolor, like light blue, then it would look odd foryour kitchen to be an eye-catching fuchsia andyour living room to be a shade of lime.Consistency is the key.

The final step to moving in to a new apartmentand getting set up is to get to know your neigh-

bors. At first, it can seem like an ever-rackingprocess to go out and try to meet new people, but

it is necessary to get to know who lives near you.Regardless of how much the meet-and-greetprocess can feel like the first day of school, go outand talk to your neighbors at any chance that youget. If you see someone in the parking lot, strikeup a conversation, or if the person living directly

down the hall from you is coming in at the sametime as you, then stop and introduce yourself. If

you truly want to get to know yourneighbors, then you have to make thefirst effort. Even though some peoplemay be turned off by what they perceiveto be your intrusiveness, it is still impor-tant to try. The ultimate step to trying toget to know your neighbors is to throw apot-luck type lunch or dinner party. Talkto anyone and everyone that you seearound you and invite them over to eat.Getting to know new people is alwayseasier over a plate of hot, good food.

The hardest thing to do in a new placeis to turn a house into a home. Puttingyour own personal touch on where youlive is the most important thing you cando to help turn your new apartment,home or condo into more than just aspace you live in. As long as you get toknow the specifications for your place,create your own style, make any alter-ations as early on as possible, make sureyour place is stocked with the essentials

and also get to know your neighbors and your newneighborhood, then your transition into a newplace can become an easier and more streamlinedprocess.


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2012 Spring Housing Guide

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