Handbook | Housing

2. Housing
When you first arrive in the area, one of the most important tasks is to find a comfortable and affordable place to live. There are several on- and off-campus housing options with varying amenities in a relatively wide price range.

a. On-Campus Housing
At present, limited housing for graduate students is available in Cashin Hall. This 12-month residence hall is located in the Sylvan Residential Area and offers a number of amenities including a study lounge, kitchen equipped with basic appliances, a coin-operated laundry facility and vending facilities. The rooms also include local phone service, cable TV and ethernet. Prince offers residence hall accommodations to single graduate students as well as to non-traditional undergraduates and international students enrolled at the University. All rooms are shared double rooms. Single rooms are assigned by seniority and are not available for new applicants. Residents have the option of living in the hall during Intersession and the summer for an additional cost. For more information, contact the Housing Assignment Office, 235 Whitmore, 545-2100.

Residential facilities at the University also include 345 apartments in two housing complexes, North Village and Lincoln Apartments . Priority for placement in North Village and Lincoln Apartments is given to graduate and undergraduate students with dependents and graduate students in specially designated programs, although some graduate students carrying a minimum of 9 credit hours or who have paid their Program Fee are eligible. Disabled students are given priority for handicapped accessible apartments. Faculty and staff are eligible on a space-available basis. Waiting lists for North Village and Lincoln Apartments are updated each year. For further information, contact Family Housing, Wysocki House, 911 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, 545-3115 or email family.housing@housing.umass.edu or go to their website.

b. Off-Campus Housing
Although some graduate students find that on-campus housing is convenient, the supply is limited, and so the vast majority of graduate students decide to live off campus in Amherst and the neighboring towns. (On-campus apartments are cheaper than their off-campus counterparts. For more information, call Family Housing at (413) 545-3115. They have a long waiting list.) Although the area housing market is competitive, by following a few basic steps from the beginning of your housing search and tenancy, you should be able to minimize many of the potential problems associated with renting.

As a first step in your housing search, contact the Commuter Services and Housing Resource Center (CSHRC). The CSHRC, located at 428 Student Union, is a student-initiated and supported housing and community resource center. Services are extensive and open to all members of the University community. CSHRC is the largest rental listing service in the area, and all of its services are free. CSHRC's computerized rental listing services ( www.cshrc.org ) offer a wide variety of housing options: vacant units (including apartments in complexes and houses, condominiums, and single-family and sabbatical homes); shared housing (including housemates, apartment-mates, and rooms with local families); sublets; and a number of special interest options (such as gay/lesbian/bisexual households, part-time or short-term housing, and religious housing). Each rental listing includes detailed information related to cost and specifics (such as distance to the bus line, pets, and the specific terms of the offered tenancy). The Center also maintains lists of people seeking housing. Other support services offered by CSHRC include:

Education, Mediation and Advocacy. CSHRC offers a wide variety of brochures and web-based information materials on landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities. CSHRC can also provide information, mediation, advocacy and referrals on a wide variety of housing related issues for those who utilize its housing listing services.

Pioneer Valley Oil Cooperative (PVOC) and Green Watts. Reduced-cost home heating oil and home energy conservation materials for members across much of the 3 county area; join online or stop by the office. This program is so-sponsored with the Center for Ecological Technology, a local nonprofit energy organization.

Home Sharing Program. This program matches householders seeking at home assistance services in lieu of rent (such as caring for elderly or disabled adults or children, or performing household chores or errands) are matched with renters seeking such housing arrangements. Applications may be completed online. For assistance with elder care call Match Coordinator Paulie Sicard @(413) 773-5555, Monday-Thursday mornings. All other inquiries may be directed to CSHRC.

Voter Registration. CSHRC works with other student agencies to register voters, and coordinates efforts to establish a polling site on campus. Voter registration forms are available at the front desk.

CSHRC also provides programs and activities for student families (see section under Childcare) such as a babysitter bulletin board as well as extensive information about area family resources. You may e-mail CSHRC at cshrc@stuaf.umass.edu , call 545-0865 or fax 545-3633.

Other places where you will find information about available housing include classified sections in local papers such as the Daily Hampshire Gazette (www.gazettenet.com), the Amherst Bulletin, and the Valley Advocate (www.valleyadvocate.com), bulletin boards in the Student Union Building, and bus stops serving the campus community where students looking for roommates and apartment mates may post notices.