Rachelle Woodbury let out a deep sigh of relief after one of her premier projects debuted to East Lansing and MSU officials Monday afternoon.
Since December, Woodbury, MSU's community-student liaison, has spearheaded a new program — www.offcampusliving.msu.edu — to help ease the transition for MSU students moving off campus for the first time.
Information already is available on the Web site, but the official announced launch is Thursday. Next week marks the culmination of Woodbury's efforts.
"Rental World: MSU," one of the most visible facets of the program, was shown to the public for the first time Monday.
The 20-minute video is a play off MTV's "The Real World," and the scripted show follows the lives of five MSU students in their first experience moving off campus.
It cost $30,000 to create the video — not including $9,000 in advertising and prizes for the program's kickoff, Woodbury said.
She added that $20,000 of the budget came from MSU, with the remaining financial support coming from places such as the city, the Student Book Store and the MSU Federal Credit Union.
The film offers advice to first-time off-campus students throughout the plot, which includes signing leases, dealing with neighbors and learning about the city's ordinances. It will be available for public viewing on the Web site by its launch date.
It was well received by the various MSU and city officials in attendance during the debut.
"It wasn't preachy," City Council member Diane Goddeeris said. "It was engaging and kept you interested."
Zoology senior Kate Leitch said she'd be interested in seeing the video's MTV-style take on East Lansing rental living.
"Students definitely want to live off campus," Leitch said. "For myself, living on and off campus, I can see the difference."
Pre-screenings of the film were given to some student groups, Woodbury said, so students could give input on helping the video appeal to the general student body.
"I tried to involve students every step of the way," Woodbury said.
Woodbury is hosting at least four events in on-campus residence halls to promote the initiative beginning next week, she said.
After the debut, officials voiced support for a second edition of the film, as well as more ways to involve students in the video's production, such as through script-writing and video-production contests.
But audiences might have to wait a while to tune in for the sequel. Woodbury said it might be made in a couple years, depending on how this first film turns out.
