Information for Students Seeking Off-Campus Housing
Although space is available in residence halls and family & single graduate housing units, many students choose to look at off-campus rental options. If you want to live off-campus, we encourage you to look at options for Fall 2005 now.

The number of available rentals increases the further you look from Central Campus. Apartments located a 10-minute drive or further from Central Campus seem to have rental rates averaging less than apartments near campus. For these reasons, we suggest that you consider commuting to your classes from home by bus, bicycle, or car.

Housing Information Office Resources
You will find helpful resource materials about off-campus housing in the lobby area of the Housing Information Office, including a guide booklet, a comprehensive map of campus and Ann Arbor which shows most apartment complexes in the area, co-op housing options, and bus schedules. There are also computer terminals available for students to access the Housing Web site, view housing & roommate/sublet listings, and post roommate/sublet ads. Additionally, most of these resources are available on this Web site.

Parking & Transportation
Parking at the U-M Ann Arbor campus is extremely limited. Parking Services strongly discourages students from bringing a vehicle to campus. Those who must bring a car should call Parking Services or check their website at www.parking,umich.edu for information. To facilitate getting around without a car, there are two bus services students may use. The University Bus Service provides free transportation around Central Campus, North Campus, South (Athletic) Campus and the Medical Center Campus. This is extremely useful for those who travel between Campuses or park in a U-M commuter lot. The Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA) has 26 bus routes throughout Ann Arbor and the surrounding areas. For U-M bus schedules, as well as parking and carpooling information, visit www.transportation.umich.edu. AATA bus schedules are available at www.theride.org and also at the Housing Information Office (Room 1011 Student Activities Building)

If you would like to speak with the Off-Campus Housing Advisor about your housing search, please inquire at the front desk of the Housing Information Office or call (734) 763-3205.

Will the Ann Arbor Art Fair Hit Home For You This Month?
In July the followers one of the country’s largest art fairs descend upon Ann Arbor. Many tenants are surprised to find the extent that the Art Fair impacts their driveways, parking lots, and even their yards. Some tenants complained that they couldn’t get past vendor booths to their own front door during the Fair last year.

The 2004 Ann Arbor Art Fair will take place July 21st-24th. If you live in or close to the downtown area, now is the time to find out the extent that you may be inconvenienced during the week of the Fair. First, check your lease to see if there is any mention of special arrangements to be made by the landlord for access to your apartment or parking your car. If there is no mention in your lease, contact your landlord and ask what provisions will be made, if any. Ask specifically if alternative parking will be available and what he/she recommends if you experience problems such as your parked car being blocked.

Whether or not your landlord recognizes special circumstances during Art Fair, you may still be affected by it. Crowds are much larger, and parking is limited. You may need extra time to get through town, so plan accordingly.

The streets will close at 6 am on Tuesday, July 20th for setup. If you believe access to your residence will be limited by the art fair street closings you can directly contact the fair in your area. There are only a couple of places where access is limited and those issues generally are worked out directly long before the fair. Fair hours are Wednesday-Friday 10 am – 9 pm and Saturday 10 am - 6 pm. All is back to normal early Sunday morning.

For more information, you can visit the Art Fair web site at www.artfair.org. There is also information at www.annarbor.org, with links to each of the 4 fairs' web sites.

Some Ann Arbor natives stay out of town during the week of the Art Fair but you might not have this option. Hopefully, with a little planning, you’ll get out and enjoy the fun without any of the hassles.

Start Recycling If You Haven't Already
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Take our Recycling Quiz
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The City of Ann Arbor contracts with Recycle Ann Arbor to provide recycling collection and processing services. Ann Arbor is one of the few cities that use such a comprehensive recycling service and it is tenth in the nation for recycling. And it’s easy to use. But best of all, while many places charge you to collect your recyclables, it’s FREE in Ann Arbor! So get with the program, think about your part in environmental sustainability, and sort your trash. It’s easy and becomes a habit before you know it.

Here are the basics to get you started recycling:

Q: What items are recyclable?
Plastics: Recycle Ann Arbor will accept #1 & #2 small-mouthed plastic bottles/containers. You can find the number on the bottom of the item. Recyclable containers are often the clear pop-bottle type but also include "cloudy" plastic milk and water jugs, colored plastic detergent containers, and shampoo and lotion bottles. Plastics with wide mouths, such as margarine, yogurt, and cottage cheese containers have a different melting point and are not recyclable, even if sometimes marked with #2 on the bottom. Please be sure to "pop that top" as lids to plastic containers are not recyclable. No motor oil bottles or other plastic (bags, styrofoam, toys, etc.). Put recyclable plastics in the green recycle bin.
Glass: Any clear, green, or brown glass is okay. Rinse out and remove lids. Labels can remain attached. Put recyclable glass in the green recycle bin.
Cans (tin and aluminum): Rinse and flatten. Labels are OK on cans. Loose metal lids from cans are recyclable. Aerosol cans are recyclable if empty. Put recyclable cans in the green recycle bin.
Papers: Recycle loose newspapers (including newspaper inserts), grocery bags, corrugated cardboard, and cleaned pizza boxes. Magazines, catalogs, junk mail, phone books, office paper, or cereal boxes, and other greyboard boxes are also accepted for collection. No yellowed, wet or once-wet newspaper. No waxed (freezer type) boxes. Flatten large cardboard boxes into pieces and bundle. Put recyclable papers in the tan recycle bin. Juice boxes (such as milk cartons or OJ boxes) are accepted in green(container) tote. Please rinse.
Q: I live in a house. How do I recycle for curbside collection?
A: Store your recyclables in your home in the two bins provided by the City of Ann Arbor. Place the totes on the curb, a few feet away from your regular refuse cans, on your weekly refuse collection day or less frequently, whenever your totes are full, since servicing partially-full totes reduces collection efficiency. On wet days, cover your papers to keep them dry. You may use cardboard boxes to supplement the tote containers.

Q: I live in an apartment/co-op/multi-unit building. Where do I put my recyclables?
A: Place your prepared recyclables in the centrally-located storage bins for the complex. Some complexes may choose to use curbside collection service, as described above.

Q: How do I get the recycling bins (plastic boxes)?
A: The City of Ann Arbor owns and distributes the recycling bins. Call 99-GREEN to have a set of bins (1 tan and 1 green) delivered to your address. Write your street address on the spot indicated on your bins. If you move, leave your bins behind. Another set of bins will await you at your new Ann Arbor address.

Q: How can I get more information on recycling?
A: Call Recycle Ann Arbor 662-6288 or check out "www.recycleannarbor.org"