Before EMU had campus dorms, students for much of the school's history were housed and sometimes fed in the homes of ordinary Ypsilantians around town. It wasn't unusual. Plenty of adult workers with less-lucrative jobs also roomed and/or boarded in someone else's home in a single private room.
This August 1888 advertisement from the Ypsilanti Commercial shows the less-than-stringent screening process that the Normal School used to find student housing. If you, Ypsi resident, wished to house a student, the school asked you merely to provide your address; whether you were offering room, board, or both; the number of rooms available and their location; and whether you preferred ladies or gentlemen (NOT both!)
Today, of course, a few students still live around town in some homeowner's extra room or apartment. But perhaps it's safe to say the custom of boarding with families at their dinner table is gone. Times change...but how about you? Would you be comfortable putting up an EMU student in your home, maybe with meals every day?
7 comments :
If we had both gone there, we could have been roommates! We are both (ahem) ladies and it would be okay. What a blast we could have had.... :)
That would have been fun! :) Though they kept pretty tight rein on the ladies especially...a curfew enforced (jolly) and needless to say NO gentleman callers! Ever!
And certainly no beer at any time. ;(
Yes, we would. It's unfortunate that zoning laws have made such arrangements very difficult to near impossible to do these days. Our student housing area would be far better off with fewer absentee rentals and more owner-occupied boarding houses, in my humble opinion.
Building Place: I agree completely. But why did those zoning laws change so radically, I wonder? I can't see the harm in renting out an extra bedroom to an EMU student. now I'm completely puzzled.
I know that restrictive zoning laws like that also can rule out "granny flats," or, economical mini-apartments where seniors can live cheaply and independently.
I don't know all of the history of zoning in Ypsilanti, but I do know that in 2003 or so then Mayor Cheryl Farmer tried to "downzone" much of the student housing area around EMU in an attempt to zone out apartments and student rentals.
During the following three year battle with landlords and the Midtown Neighborhood Association, the Mayor repeatedly rejected an alternative which would have reduced the attractiveness of this neighborhood to absentee landlords, and encouraged owner-occupied rental housing similar to what was described in your story.
In the end, all that passed City Council was a fairly modest change in zoning for a few areas, which the neighborhood association supported.
I don't know all of the history of zoning in Ypsilanti, but I do know that in 2003 or so then Mayor Cheryl Farmer tried to "downzone" much of the student housing area around EMU in an attempt to zone out apartments and student rentals.
During the following three year battle with landlords and the Midtown Neighborhood Association, the Mayor repeatedly rejected an alternative which would have reduced the attractiveness of this neighborhood to absentee landlords, and encouraged owner-occupied rental housing similar to what was described in your story.
In the end, all that passed City Council was a fairly modest change in zoning for a few areas, which the neighborhood association supported.
Thank you for the informative answer, Building Place. That is really a shame. I appreciate the info, though.
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