By Elizabeth Hill

Arizona Daily Wildcat

New UA students looking for a place to help them get started will find what they need at the newly remodeled Center for Off-Campus Students.

No longer will tired students find a center with hard chairs at hard tables. Instead, the new center sports a gray and purple color scheme with cushioned chairs and carpeting.

The remodeling is an effort to provide more services to the flow of students who come to the center for help, said Ann Wolnick, Off-Campus Center director, and to improve efficiency and comfort.

The center, located in Student Union Room 353, is "a place for people to socialize and study," said Meghan Donovan, a student worker for the center. "There are tables, as well as sofas, and private cubicles for the phone and typewriters."

Elizabeth Chinworth, French senior, said the new center "looks more accessible, and the phone helps."

"In previous years the drop-in center has been a place where students could come and relax," Wolnick said. Now she plans to add to that by having scheduled interactions between students and faculty.

"I have begun making commitments with faculty members who are interested in coming and talking with students about their area of expertise," Wolnick said.

Three organizations are housed in the Center for Off-Campus Students.

Step Ahead, for undergraduates new to the University of Arizona and living off-campus, is designed to help those students develop ties to the campus, Wolnick said.

Students are asked to choose one of four areas of interest: academic, campus activities, intramurals, and philanthropic, and develop a fall program within the group, Wolnick said. The groups also participate in homecoming and spring fling activities.

There is also a New-Traditional Student group for students 25 years of age and older. Programs include a child care fair, weekly lunch meetings, and academic and social programs.

Phi Lambda Phrateres, also housed in the center, is a service organization that puts on the Cedric Dempsey Cancer Run each year.

Other amenities include a message service. The office will take messages and post them on the center message board.

And, if students register their schedule with the center, staff members will find the student in the event of an emergency.

Many students are finding the weekly housing list useful. Wolnick said there are seven pages of apartment listings and more coming in each day. The list is published each Friday.

For students looking for information about renting and roomate issues, the center offers a free "Renter's Handbook" which includes Arizona's Landlord Tenant Act.

The center also offers information and brochures pertinent to what students need including financial aid, student health, campus recreation and jobs. Read Next Article