Even though there have recently been several articles in The BG News about it, I have to admit I still have only a vague and foggy clue what this new “Section O” proposal is about. The more I read about it, though, the more I don’t like it, and the more I begin to wonder why it is even necessary.

The first time I heard about this proposal was several months ago, when I went to pay my rent. My landlord pushed a clipboard at me, said they were “sure I had heard about this,” and asked me to sign a petition. Needless to say, there weren’t many signatures.

I asked what was going on, and was given a horrifying description of what would happen if this “Section O” passed. I was told inspectors would enter my apartment without permission and without warning, and if they found anything they didn’t like, I personally would be fined, instead of the landlord. Was I being lied to?

I was also given a small packet of papers, full of legal and technical language I did not understand, and informed of a city meeting that I couldn’t make it to. The thought of someone coming into my home and rooting through my things, then fining me for it, scared me beyond belief, so I signed the petition.

I’m not even sure what kind of things they would fine for. Would they charge me if my apartment is messy, for some sort of fire hazard? Believe me, I’d be out a lot of money if that were true.

I guess I can see a possible reason for a change like this, if only that’s what was intended. Just driving around town, I have seen some pretty rundown properties, places that, at least judging from the outside, I’d never want to live in. I’ve even seen a few places where people have stuffed blankets in the windows, instead of panes of glass. Maybe controlling these sorts of properties is what all this fuss is about?

If it is, however, that begs another question. Do we really need the city to protect us? Most people tour a property before they decide to rent it. I, for example, toured at least four apartments from four different rental companies before choosing one. I was offered several badly run down properties. When I went to see then I didn’t even stop; I just kept on driving right by.

If properties are that poor and dangerous, who would rent them? Or, if someone gets into a property and discovers all sorts of problems, shouldn’t they be taking the initiative to get the landlord to fix them?

The first apartment I ever rented had horrible plug sockets in the wall. The plugs would not stay in; they would simply fall out, or wouldn’t fit at all. I did what was necessary, I called and complained. Within days, the problem was fixed. It really wasn’t hard at all.

So, it seems the student government on campus is trying their best to make this mysterious “Section O” more acceptable and agreeable for students. I have to wonder, though, how many off-campus students really know about this, and how it will affect them.

I guess we should be taking the initiative on this, as well. If this proposal will be good for us, and help us to live in comfortable housing while we pursue an education, then I’m all for it. But, if this is yet another superfluous act of the government, I’m really not interested. Do we really need the city to tell our landlords to fix some lights for us?

Either way, we are adults. I guess this whole situation is another reminder of how things are in the real world. If we want information, we need to go out and get it ourselves.

If this is a bad situation, and we really should be standing up for an infringement of our rights, then we need to do whatever it takes, including throwing our support behind USG, to get this whole situation worked out. As for me, I guess I need to do some reading.