STUDENT AFFAIRS

Off-Campus Life helps students navigate Evanston and Chicago transitions

Northwestern’s office of Off-Campus Life within the Division of Student Affairs helps students navigate the transition from campus to the Evanston or Chicago communities. 

Assistant Dean and Director of Strategy and Operations Jason McKean oversees the office of Off-Campus Life. His team provides resources to help students deal with problems they may face after completing their two-year on-campus living requirement. 

“Anybody who's lived off campus for any period of time knows you never know what's going to happen to you,” McKean said. “You might have a pipe leak, you might have a door that doesn't work, you might have a neighbor who's really difficult to get along with.”  

McKean said he hopes students who work with the office obtain the skills they need, and engage the resources available to them throughout their housing search and time off campus. 

One of the most helpful pages on the website, according to McKean, is a menu of how-to guides about different aspects of living outside the residence halls. The guides include “How to Find Housing,” “How to Move Off Campus,” “How to be a Good Neighbor” and “How to Budget.” 

These resources were emphasized by Maya Garcia (McCormick ‘24) as a highlight of the Residential Life and Off-Campus Life event she attended as an undergraduate. 

“A lot of times you're given brochures, and then they go into recycling, but being able to actually go through them together, I was like, 'Oh wow, I never considered this,’” Garcia said. 

Off-Campus Life also puts on Housing Fairs during the Fall and Winter Quarters, giving students a comprehensive view of their options and what it means to live in Evanston or its neighboring communities. To give students a full picture of the resources available to them while living on their own, the Housing Fair and other educational events also featured two alderpersons from the Evanston City Council, the Evanston 311 Service, the Metropolitan Tenants Association, the Law Center for Better Housing and Open Communities, which is an advocate for affordable housing.  

In addition to a Housing Fair, Off-Campus Life will also host a program and activity series during Winter and Spring Quarters to share tips on dealing with new challenges living off-campus presents, including cooking, budgeting, housing discrimination, transportation and safety planning. These events will also share information about dealing with things students might not consider before moving off campus like getting renter’s insurance. 

Joanne L. (Weinberg ‘25) secured a summer sublease after attending programming offered by Off-Campus Life and using the available resources. 

“I didn't know that we had to have a sublease agreement or that it was important to have one before going into the presentation,” Joanne said. “But afterward, I was really glad that I listened to them.” 

Other than providing advice and educational programming, McKean said the office helps students understand their rights and responsibilities as tenants. While many students recommend living off campus due to the freedom it provides, “that doesn't mean that there aren’t still rules,” he said. 

“The harder part is some of those rules are going to be unwritten because you're running into a situation where you're living next to a neighbor who's had five bad experiences in a row while living next to students,” McKean said.  

Off-Campus Life works to make community connections and teaches students how to be good neighbors. Events like ice cream socials connect Northwestern students with their Evanston neighbors. McKean said that in the last year, the Office has also partnered with students to host Neighborhood Coffee Meet-Ups at their residences. 

McKean said he hopes to continue those events, alongside helping open channels of communication between student and non-student neighbors with one-to-one meetings. 

While Off-Campus Life can’t get involved with leases and landlords, McKean says the office can provide specific advice and help solve problems. 

"We hold ourselves out as the first point of contact for students moving off campus for anything they need," McKean said. "When you're negotiating with landlords or looking to solve a landlord/tenant issue, I can tell you who you can talk to and who will always be on your side."

Having the support and resources of Off-Campus Life during this transition is essential, according to Garcia. 

“School and life are now separated,” Garcia said. “You're not just on campus all the time, so it's really crucial to make it the best situation possible.”