Tenants' reunion

MSA was right to restore AATU funding

Come winter, some University students may find themselves sitting in their apartments, watching icicles fall from the roof, as they wait for their landlords to fix the heat. The Ann Arbor Tenants' Union can help prevent these and other troublesome housing situations. Since its inception 29 years ago, the AATU has helped countless numbers of students and local community members. On Tuesday, the Michigan Student Assembly voted in favor of dispersing the $20,000 allocated for tenant services in its annual budget to the AATU. MSA should be sure to follow up on the AATU's progress and not simply dole out the money if services that students need are not provided and improved upon.

MSA decided to disperse the money in four payments throughout the course of the year despite recent complaints that the AATU did not fulfill obligations in the past few months. Individual payments will be contingent upon the submission of reports detailing the number of students served, as compiled from the AATU's database. MSA should carefully investigate student satisfaction with the AATU before dispersing the funds.

Students' dissatisfaction stems in large part from the staffing crisis that left the AATU unable to meet students' needs. It was not fully operational from May until October because a large number of long-time interns and volunteers left. This staffing crisis has yet to be resolved - the AATU was incapable of handling high demands as students began moving into housing at the beginning of the Fall semester. The tenants' union should anticipate the possibility of losing large amounts of staff each May as graduation rolls around. New volunteers should be hired and trained early on to avoid future staffing problems.

To get the AATU back on its feet, former president Pattrice Maurer has been volunteering her services and will continue to do so until it is again fully functional. In addition to Maurer's help, a new part-time coordinator will be hired to help smooth out the problems of the past few months. Such positive steps will help the AATU recover from its recent shortcomings.

MSA should take advantage of the option of having a student representative on the AATU executive board. The position would allow MSA and other University students to have a voice regarding the union's decisions. The representative would also be aware of how many students the union helped and the quality of service provided. The student representative would also be on the hiring committee for AATU administrators as well as volunteers. Therefore, MSA would have some control over who would work for the AATU and could ensure that it measures up to students' expectations.

In its 29 years of operation, the AATU helped countless students resolve disputes with their landlords - its standard of excellence should not falter. The AATU has the opportunity to recover from its slip in standards with the funding from MSA. MSA and the AATU have a responsibility to prevent repeating the mistakes that occurred in the past. By working together, the two organizations can ensure that the operation runs smoothly and serves the best interest of the student community.

10-10-97