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700 students to get storage vouchers

Pressed by an Undergraduate Council of Students ad hoc committee, the University has decided to spend approximately $40,000 to subsidize summer storage for students just one year after abandoning its previous on-campus storage program.

Under the new plan, beginning this year, 700 students will receive $50 vouchers to use with the company Campus Shipping and Storage. The University will also cover additional costs, including labor, associated with storing boxes.

Students can sign up for vouchers at the Brown Student Agencies office in Lower Faunce Monday at 10 a.m. The first 700 students to sign up will receive vouchers.

Campus Shipping and Storage will come to campus near the end of the semester to provide boxes for students. A $50 voucher is good for one 4.66-cubic foot box, or any variation of smaller, cheaper boxes, according to the company's Web site.

The new storage plan is not without its shortcomings, said Brian Bidadi '06 and Ben Creo '07, the leaders of the ad hoc committee. Unlike the University's previous on-campus storage program, the new plan does not provide for every student, vouchers are limited to $50 and students' belongings are not stored on campus.

"Everyone involved understands this is the first step," Bidadi said.

"We really lobbied to bring (storage) back this year," he added. "Though it has some limitations, this is positive. Last year, there was zero aid for storage. To go from nonexistent to the administration offering $40,000 from their budget at the end of the calendar year is rare."

If student demand for the vouchers is high and response after the summer is positive, Creo said he hopes the University will expand the program next year to offer vouchers to all students. According to the University, no more than 1,700 students used free storage in a given year during the previous on-campus program, Creo said.

"It doesn't help as many students as we want it to help right now," Creo said. "But if we get enough support and 700 students sign up - which I'm confident of - we will look to get free storage for all students by next summer. This is something UCS will fight for."

Director of Residential Life Richard Bova first suggested the idea of University subsidies to the ad hoc committee. Bidadi and Creo, who are both UCS presidential candidates, explored the option. After weeks of research and discussions with several administrators, including Bova and Interim Dean for Campus Life Margaret Klawunn, regarding issues of health, safety and liability, the subsidy plan was finalized and presented for University approval.

Earlier in the semester, the ad hoc committee wanted to use storage pods as a method for on-campus summer storage. In that scenario, students would load their belongings into the pods, which would then be driven to University-owned warehouses 15 minutes away from campus, where they would remain during the summer. This plan would have provided unlimited storage to all students.

The pods idea, however, was not feasible because the University-owned warehouses currently are not in accordance with appropriate fire code regulations. Updating the facilities to meet these standards would have cost the University over $300,000, Creo said.

The new subsidy plan, however, may even be better than the original pods idea, according to Creo.

"Brown is not a professional storage company; Campus Ship and Store is," Creo said. "They have all the regulations, insurance liability and facilities in place to do this properly."

Campus Shipping and Storage has a contract with BSA and employs Brown students in its labor force. Bova said the company was selected after extensive research of several storage companies. New companies will be solicited and pursued each year in order to get the cheapest rates for students, he added.

Despite its limitations, the plan is an immediate solution to a problem that needed to be addressed, Bidadi said. He hopes the program will grow in the coming years.

"The University didn't have $40,000 extra to give away. They found a way to make money available to cover student storage," Bidadi said. "That's what UCS needs to do to allocate funds for student services - we have to make sure that student life initiatives are addressed and funded by the University, and we have to put pressure on the University to do this in a timely manner."


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