With the houses leased by local landlords and luxury apartments lining university-area neighborhoods, Syracuse University students have a number of off-campus housing options to choose from. But with variety of choice comes more stress and greater competition, particularly in recent years — what was once a task for after Thanksgiving Break has turned into searches in the early part of fall semester.

For most of SU’s sophomores and juniors, this house hunt would be the first time they are conducting their own searches for housing, signing their own leases and making their own payments. And because they have not been through this process before, it would be easy for rental companies to take advantage of these students.

As undergraduate students embark on this first critical adult decision, it’s important that the university is vigilant in helping its student body make that decision. Despite the fact they are looking to live out of SU’s jurisdiction, these students should still be protected and looked out for by the university.

Though local real estate websites and landlords should do their best to be upfront with SU students when it comes to safety and the criminal activity in the respective neighborhoods, these outside parties do not have the same responsibility that university resources do.

Located on 760 Ostrom Ave, SU’s Student Legal Services, for example, helps students wade through the legalese of housing contracts. And nearby on 754 Ostrom, Off-Campus and Commuter Services also helps by providing students  with information about residential concerns.

But university resources can offer more in the way of tangible outreach to students in this hectic housing climate. For example, OCCS used to hold an apartment housing fair, but no longer does so. If the university were to host a “how-to” event, many SU students’ concerns could be addressed and they would be better equipped for the process.

It is understood that the push to secure housing early on isn’t so much a matter of deadlines, but a benchmark set by the students in what is the result of social pressures to become fully independent and beat the stress of worrying where to live in the next year. But any efforts the university can make to be a guide would benefit students greatly as they take on the housing market.