| Frequently Asked Questions |
| What is the mission at OCSS? To meet the diverse needs of students living off-campus, as well as the unique needs of transfer students. |
| What services does OCSS provide? We sponsor a wide variety of events, services, and workshops to help connect commuter and transfer students to the UMBC community. You can get a full listing of upcoming events by visiting our office, Commons, Suite 309. As a sample, here are a few of the projects we've been working on: Welcome Week, Commuter Awareness Week, Priority Parking, Gold Card, Good Morning Commuters, Transfer Student Network, shuttle bus lines, Off -Campus Housing listings, and roommate listings. |
| Gold Card |
| What is a Gold Card? The Gold Card is a discount card that offers students discounts in the surrounding off-campus community. The card is students' golden ticket to OCSS events & activities! |
| What are the benefits of a Gold Card? Free breakfast every TUESDAY, 8:30AM - 10:30AM at Good Morning Commuters Free snacks every THURSDAY, 5:00PM - 7:00PM, at Good Evening Commuters Gold Card Special Events at the Yum Shoppe: Using your Gold Card and Campus Card, every $5 purchase saves $0.50 on your next purchase! |
| Who can have a Gold Card? ANYONE!! This deal isn't limited to commuters only; residents can make good use of the discounts as well. |
| Where do I get a Gold Card? Gold Cards can be purchased at the Commons Information Desk with your Campus Card. They can also be purchased with cash at Good Morning Commuters, Good Evening Commuters, and our office, Commons, Suite 309. The Gold Card is $5, and it is valid for the entire academic year.. |
| Off-Campus Housing - UMBC STUDENTS |
| I need “A PLACE TO LIVE!” Where do I look? OCSS offers an extensive listing of off-campus apartments listed by the various agencies, and listed by students who are looking for a roommate. Some of our listings are simply an extra room in a house, while others are full apartments that you can split between you and friends. Whatever your situation, we can help. |
| I need a ROOMMATE! Have an apartment but want to find a roommate to fill that extra room? OCSS offers listings of UMBC students who are looking for a place to live. You can drop by the office, look at their information and even make a telephone call to them, all from the same place. |
| Are these listings going to go out of date? We ask all people who use our listings to notify us as soon as the vacancy is filled or the student has found a place to live. You can give us a call at x52770 (410-455-2770) and we will remove the listing so all our records are up to date! |
| What's this going to cost me? Since you're a UMBC student, OCSS offers all of these services for free! |
| Off-Campus Housing - Non-UMBC Student |
| Can I advertise a room or apartment complex? If you are looking to advertise a room for rent, or an apartment listing, OCSS is more then happy to post your information. |
| What's it going to cost me? We do ask for a small posting fee to cover the cost of updating your listing regularly. If you are an individual who is looking to post information on a room or a sub-leased apartment, we only ask for a $25 fee. If you are a corporate entity, we ask for $150. The listing is good for 6 months, and we will call halfway through to update your prices and availability. With the volume of students that stop by, these fees are very reasonable! |
| Priority Parking |
| What is Priority Parking? Priority Parking is a program to encourage commuters to carpool. Commuters who carpool can apply for a special Priority Parking Permit at the beginning of each semester. The permit allows them to park in one of five reserved spaces located north of the Fine Arts Building. |
| Who gets to use Priority Parking? Since there are only five reserved parking spaces, Priority Parking Permits are coordinated based on the number of carpoolers and their individual schedules. Awardees will be given permits and assigned time slots when they can use Priority Parking. |
How do I apply?
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