Off-campus housing in Lawrence
(This is the first in a series of stories on off-campus student housing in Lawrence.)
By JOE BULLARD
Kansan Staff Writer
Lax building inspectors, laws which are not enforced, an off-campus housing office that has no way of knowing what type of housing is being recommended to students and University professors who own a large percentage of problem housing-all add up to a growing off-campus housing problem which is appalling.
Four KU students pay $125 a month for a furnished apartment which comes complete with a limited amount of broken-down furniture, no dresser, a caved-in couch and bugs.
Inside one student's apartment, the floor is bowed, due possibly to the 1½ feet of water in the basement—an aftermath of Christmas vacation when the water pipes broke.
10 KANSAN May 9
1969
These two examples come from a part of Lawrence which for five years has been recognized as a problem area.
For at least 20 years, off-campus housing has been a touchy topic at KU. As early as 1951 the University Daily Kansan reported cases of student dissatisfaction with off-campus housing.
In 1964, a comprehensive study on Lawrence was made for the City Planning Commission. The study suggested that an area "east and south of the business district along the east side of the University campus" be an area of "intensive enforcement of housing and building codes with continued and improved maintenance so that more drastic public action will not be necessary for many years, if at all."
Out of the general problem area,
building inspectors from the Lawrence and the State Fc Lodging Board picked out specific area of especially bad The area extends from the 110 to the 1300 block of Tennes Ohio streets.
Since 1964 this area has no one of intensive enfo pertaining to housing codes there been continued and in maintenance of the buildings action is needed.
J. J. Wilson, director of a estimated that 50 per cent o 8,000 students live off-campus 50 per cent, Wilson said approx 10 per cent live in subs housing.
KU students choose to sub-standard housing for reasons. Most important in the of the students is low co proximity to campus.
Clark Coan, dean of students, said most foreign a cannot live in the resident hall different diets.
Coan said the foreign student forced to find an apartment cooking privileges, but the ce must be low due to limited and the apartment or roming must be close to campus because foreign students own cars.
Students do not want their used in conjunction with this a fear of reprisal by their landl the form of poor service; in rents or even eviction.
One student said, "Durin winter when the wind blew, we stuff towels under our door the cold out. We asked our l three times to fix the door, never did anything."
A foreign student said, "The is old and the rent is too high building. If the conditions we
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