While opting out of the stresses that accompany room draw, some students adopt a more real-world approach to choosing their housing. Once the decision has been made to live off campus, the search for an apartment begins, and ends with a realization that in a town as small as Hanover, the pool of options is more comparable to the size of a fishbowl.
Renting property to about 300 tenants a year, Jolin Kish '88 Th'91 could be called Dartmouth's landlady. Kish founded her company, Kish Consulting and Contracting, over a decade ago with the intention of addressing the student housing needs that the College wasn't handling.
"We provide the highest possible level of service," Kish said. "We are not the most expensive, but we are not on the low end."
A former tenant, RC Willenbrock '13, commented on the significant power Kish has in Hanover housing options.
"It's unreal that she has been able to build up such a monopoly around this area," Willenbrock said. "She is a smart woman."
Students appear to place priority on the cost of their off-campus residence, letting other factors fall by the wayside. With consistently high demand from students looking to rent off-campus each year, Kish's success may be due to more than just customer satisfaction.
"Rarely are the units in good condition," Willenbrock said. "But it's alright, it's just college."
Willenbrock first rented from Kish two summers ago. He got a taste of real world real estate when he and his friends locked in on a place and decided to go for it.
"She had us sit through the whole hour-long lease-signing that no one listens to, and expects us to remember every detail from it," Willenbrock said.
Though students may find the meetings boring or useless, Kish stressed their importance.
"We spend an hour going through five pages of a lease, disclosures, every piece of paper that there is," she said. "I don't just go through what I think should happen and how my lease works, but I explain differences you would see in a different lease in a different state, what parts of the lease are to protect you and the landlord. I really want everybody to understand from the beginning what the rules of engagement are going to be and that keeps things really simple because the answer is always the same."
Though Kish has an established system, Willenbrock viewed his lease experience as quite flawed.
"Some of the things she [said were] just totally wrong," Willenbrock said.
Zach Kamin '14 reported having an agreeable time working with Kish last summer.
"I thought [Kish] ran through it with us in a very professional manner," Kamin said.
Kamin felt that there was more built into his experience than a mere signing of documents.
"Her goal was not only to have us sign a lease, but also to teach us something, which was great," Kamin said.
Kamin noted that Kish sometimes spoke to him in a condescending tone.
"I took offense to it," Kamin said. "But I also think she did her job, so I have mixed feelings about her."
Kish referenced a set standard she adopts when working with clients.
"I attempt to be what one person once called me: strict but fair," Kish said. "I think in order to be fair, you have to have a pretty clear set of rules that you apply uniformly to everybody, and if that means I'm strict, it means I'm strict. At least everybody's expectations are met."
Strict but fair, however, doesn't sit well with Willenbrock.
"She runs her business like a business, but does it in a way that makes it so no one likes her," Willenbrock said. "She's very professional, but in a very condescending and non-likeable way."
Willenbrock's stronger opinion stems from several occasions that relate back to Kish. On one occasion, after leaving some personal items outside his residence for one day, Willenbrock found a stranger loading his belongings into a car.
"I stopped him," Willenbrock said. "He explained that he was Jolin's father, that my things looked ridiculous outside, so he was just going to take my things to the dump."
The situation escalated when Kish's father refused to return Willenbrock's possessions, resulting in a phone call to the police.
"The police came and told him to give me my stuff back," Willenbrock said.
Willenbrock's experiences at his unit may not have always been pleasant, but Kish explained that she had some landlady horror stories of her own.
"You think you've heard it all, and then they have proven you wrong, and that's what keeps it interesting," Kish said. "For me, what keeps it interesting is that I really like being involved with the Dartmouth community and students, and that is the best part of the job."
