University of Wisconsin-Madison students reinstated the Campus Area Neighborhood Association this past school year, with the aim of working with housing developers and leasing companies to preserve student tenant rights.
Co-chairs Megan Mladucky and Genevieve Lambert said they restarted the organization to help advocate for student renters amid a growing housing crisis in Madison.
“Our plan, mainly, is to get students in places where they feel like they have a voice,” Mladucky said.
Lambert said CANA can also serve as a touch point for students to contact their city about their living conditions. “Unless students know their alderperson, they don’t know who to go to,” she said.
The Campus Area Neighborhood Association (CANA) is one of over 20 neighborhood associations recognized by the City of Madison.
CANA holds a significant level of influence in the campus area by advising housing developers and the city on campus-area developments. “We’re able to put together a steering committee who will negotiate directly with the developer, and they can push for whatever they want,” Lambert said.
This change comes at a crucial time for developers as well, with several student housing projects popping up around campus.
CANA is unique in that it is entirely student-run and any student can volunteer, something Mladucky and Lambert stress as central to the organization's identity and integral to its future success.
“When you’re talking to other students, they are more likely to back you up,” Mladucky said.
Lambert agreed, stressing students should get involved regardless of their personal interests. “Anything students care about, if there’s an avenue for that type of advocacy on CANA, it's a great way to have an impact,” she said.
Mladucky said CANA was reinstated after being delegitimized by city government two years prior because “of a lack of student participation in the group.”
Due to its recent reinstatement, CANA has a long road before it can provide students with the resources other neighborhood associations can, such as community events and community centers like Greenbush’s Neighborhood house.
“We may not be able to provide the same things as other neighborhood associations can just because we are students; we don’t have a budget,” Mladucky said, adding that a public forum on housing would be something CANA would be able to provide to students as they establish their presence on campus.
CANA will meet every first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Student Activity Center’s Caucus Room.
