Housing and Residence Life organized an off-campus housing fair as a service to students so they could get more information about options for apartments if they were considering moving off campus, an official with Housing and Residence Life said.

Craig Allen, the director of Housing and Residence Life, said the fair was a great resource for university students, especially those who are looking to move off campus for the first time.

The housing fair took place on Monday at the Brown-Lupton University Union Auditorium. Apartment complexes gave away souvenirs as well as put names of students in drawings for gift baskets and gift cards.

This is the first time the event has been held on campus since Allen has been at the university, Allen said. Whether it will be held in the future depends on students and the off-campus housing in the vicinity, he said.

Allen said the idea for the off-campus housing fair was his and he decided to go forward with it after talking to students and apartment complexes.

Jane Macias, a sophomore early childhood education major, said she and her roommate came to the fair because they were looking for a place to live off campus.

“We figure we might as well check out all the resources possible and see if we can find anything good,” Macias said.

Macias said she would recommend the off-campus housing fair to other students who are considering moving off campus. She said the university should continue to have this event in the future.

Danyelle Payne, a leasing consultant at the Villas of Oak Hill, said she thinks the turnout of students at the fair has been good. The apartment complex volunteered to come to the event to show students that their apartments are near campus and to meet students who are looking for housing, she said.

“We’re welcoming TCU students to our property, and we ask anyone who is looking for housing off campus to come (visit the apartments) or give us a call,” Payne said.

Allen said the apartment complexes are looking for tenants and he thinks there is not a better way to reach students than to come and talk with them about what they have to offer.

Stefanie Farmer, the community manager at the Orion at Oak Hill apartments, agreed that it is a convenient way for university students to look around at apartment complexes in the area. Farmer said she did not know what to expect from the event, but she was happy with the turnout.

Po Pang, junior business information systems and international finance major, said she thinks the off-campus housing fair is a good resource because it makes it convenient for students to find apartments.

Pang is currently living on campus, but she wants to move off campus so she can have her own bathroom and not have to have a meal plan.

“(It is convenient because) I don’t have to go around the area to see what apartment fits my desire,” Pang said.