University of Wisconsin Eau Claire - Periscope Yearbook (Eau Claire, WI)

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Bob Brisiel Housing is a people business and it's something Bob Brisiel, associate director of housing, enjoys. He sees his position as that of a teacher, accomplishing things in a quiet manner. Most of all. he wants to impart to students a feeling of empathy. I hope that when students come in to talk to me about conflicts and room changes, they leave seeing that I care. Brisiel said. I want them to see my attempts and perspectives. Although I can reason with most of them, he said, it can be trying sometimes. We are accused of being a conservative campus, but why should we make drastic changes when more people than we can accommodate are choosing on-campus housing? According to Brisiel, UW-Eau Claire's conservatism is the very attraction for many potential students and their parents. The campus is well maintained and clean, Brisiel said, and can sway a student's decision to come to school here. Another paradox is creating attractive, appealing residence hall life for students, then trying to encourage upperclassmen to live off-campus due to limited hall space. Chuck Major As an upperclassman, that decisive decision to move off-campus arrives when you are no longer amused by stereo wars at 3 a.m., freshmen make you irritable and wing happy hours are anything but. It's the time to see Chuck Major, assistant director of housing. Although he cannot look for you, he can give you information about leases, pitfalls to avoid and renter's rights. Throughout the year. Major conducts off-campus seminars for campus residents. In these 45 minute sessions, he covers basic contracts, misconceptions, and responsibilities of the renter and the landlord. The biggie is naivete about things involved with off-campus housing, Major said. It's important to get all agreements down in black and white. Many students assume the landlord's verbal agreements will be carried out. Major said verbal agreements are hard to enforce; having it down on paper gives you better legal grounds if a landlord must ever be taken to court. The housing office is a clearinghouse, listing service, and mediator between renters and landlords. According to Major, 85 percent of the landlords in the Eau Claire area list with the housing office during the year. Landlords in Eau Claire are generally good and fairly honest. Major said. Rent costs are high because some are just out for the money, he added. Right now. Major said, there are more places available than students to fill them. In the pressures of supply and demand, this will warrant that bad landlords shape up or get out of the business because students won't rent from them anymore, Major said. Over the last five to seven years, there have been more landlords while student demand has been steady. Student tenant union Being forewarned of the housing hassles does not guarantee an ideal landlord-tenant relationship. The Student Tenant Union was formed in the spring of 1977 to inform students of their rights as renters. In many ways, the STU is trying to do what Major's office already does on a peer group level. In its two years on campus, the union has had problems in the large leadership turnover each year and lack of publicity to the students, according to lane Sorenson, this year's chairperson. The committee is a dedicated one which aims to inform students of its services through brochures and information sheets, she said. We're a preventative measure, here for the student's own education and to represent the students and their housing problems, Sorenson said. Problems Sorenson has seen are bad housing conditions, violations of leases and failure of landlords to return security deposits. 'We give as much as we can to the students, Sorenson said. 'We’ve been a success if someone comes to us with a problem and leaves with an answer. Homing 15

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---J I , Residence Halls Katherine Thomas Katherine Thomas is the oldest hall at UW-Eau Claire. Constructed in 1954, it was the first dorm on campus and its basement was the student union for the campus. K. T. is now the smallest dorm housing 140 students, arranged coed by floor. A walk from K.T. to the library takes 10 seconds. The lobby is the meeting place for K.T. residents. Here, any time, you can always find someone studying, talking, playing games, debating philosophical issues, or playing guitar. Many activities are planned at K.T. The activities most popular among the residents are the Pizza Pig Out (the winner last year ate 41 pieces in an hour) and the Great lack-O-Lantem Contest. Last year, this dorm activity raised $200 for Citizen Advocacy, a local charity, fc Top: Sherry Knipfrr carves her pumpkin at K.T.' 2nd Annual Great lack-O-Lanlern Carving Contest, Above: K.T. won second place in this year's Homecoming Yell like Hell competition. Katherine Thomas Hall 17