Housing costs on campus can be high, but don’t try funding it this way—or you could end up in some serious hot water.
Jack Worth, a 19-year-old sophomore at Emerson College, listed his Boston dorm room for rent on the travel site Airbnb, and could be facing consequences as severe as losing his spot at the university, according to the Washington Times. In the picture below, Worth is in the middle.
Worth had the listing up for about two weeks, during which three different renters stayed in his room. When college officials found out about it last week, they gave him until this Friday to delete it. He was also fined $150 by Airbnb when he deleted the listing.
“Really, the idea just came from the combination of understanding where Emerson is located in the city,” Worth told the Boston Globe. “And it being in such a heavily-desired neighborhood, and the thought of how I could make a little bit of extra money.”
According to the school’s website, living in a single for a year costs $16,200. Worth’s housing costs may vary because he lives in a suite with other students.
In the three days since its posting, a Change.org petition called “Free Jack Worth” has garnered more than 400 signatures. Stig Reagan, to the far right in the picture above, started the petition.
“I know Jack, I am aquainted with him, and so I’m naturally on his side,” supporter Ethan Webb commented on the petition. “But what I care more about are the policies Emerson College has with guests. If a person has the ability to let someone stay at their abode without upsetting anybody other than the administration, then I don’t see the big deal. Isn’t paying tuition payment enough?”
Apparently school officials don’t think it’s enough, since the Boston Globe reports that Emerson officials said in an email that Worth’s actions are “in clear violation of the college’s residence hall policies.” In an email to Boston.com, school officials stated that these codes are in place “to protect residents and the community from exposure to safety and security risks.”
Worth claims that he checked with his suitemates to make sure it was okay for him to rent out the room, and vetted possible tenants to make sure he didn’t put anyone at risk.
What do you think: Is Worth a savvy entrepreneur or a troublemaking teen?