OTIS votes to become part of USG

By MICHELE DIGIACINTO
Collegian Staff Writer

After only a week of being the newest executive department in the Undergraduate Student Government, the Department of Town Affairs is making changes.

Last week, the members of the former Organization for Town Independent Students voted unanimously to become intergrated with USG. The new organization plans to sponsor a panel to discuss landlord/tenant relations, and USG President Mike King hopes to pass an amendment that will protect the department's existence.

USG President Mike King said the department is organizing a panel to help students with questions they may have concerning off-campus living. He said the panel will include former OTIS adviser Forest Wortham and local landlords.

"The wheels are already turning," King said, adding that they have planned for the program to be held in mid-April so students may ask specifically about summer sublets.

Wortham, assistant director of student living, suggested the formation of this panel to educate students and said about 60 percent of students currently live off campus.

"Students are my customers," he said. "It is my job to help educate them and improve their quality of life."

But the panel is not the only project that has been initiated with the development of the new department.

King met with North Halls Senator Bill Rothwell earlier this week and drafted a proposal for an amendment to the USG constitution to protect the department as well as two others after he leaves office. King said these departments offer non-political services that should be guaranteed to students regardless of who is in office.

He also said the new legislation was introduced at the Senate meeting Tuesday night and should be voted on next week.

As for the department's daily operations, former OTIS Vice President Amy Roseberry said there have not been any drastic changes.

"We basically just changed names, and we're not the independent organization we were before," she said.

She also said joining USG was a positive step for the former OTIS.

"We can get a lot more accomplished with USG directly behind us. I think this is probably the best thing we've done," she said.

Former OTIS President Steve Brzozowski said the only difference about the organization is that they are now accountable to USG.

"Everything has been going exactly the way we wanted it to," he said.

King appointed Brzozowski and Roseberry, as interim directors until the next USG president takes office on April 1.

"Structurally, there's nothing more to be done until the new president comes in," King said.