Local rental companies are now rewarding students for learning how to party, offering incentives to potential tenants that complete a new course on how to throw a bash without getting busted by law enforcement or landlords.

The three-hour Risk Assessment Program is a free class dedicated to teaching students about how to throw safe house parties, how to deal with law enforcement, and the responsibilities they have as renters. Students that take the class will receive priority consideration of their rental applications with Ron Wolfe and Associates, BDC Management Company and Sierra Management, BDC Property Supervisor Katie Maher said.

The course is being coordinated by the Residential Risk Management Program of Safer Isla Vista, a group dedicated to educating I.V. residents about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and the activities that surround it, Program Coordinator Ryan Walkow said.

“The party host training is brand new – we just printed the fliers,” Walkow said. “It’s a three-hour training course that is free for students, with the goal of educating students about how to throw a party without getting in trouble.”

The program is funded by a grant from the County of Santa Barbara, Walkow said, and students that choose to attend the class will be eligible for free Magic Lantern movie tickets and a 10 percent discount at Isla Vista Market.

“We’re trying to be economically feasible because we didn’t receive that much money,” Walkow said. “But we’re trying to generate a lot of incentives to take the class.”

The class will focus on how to throw a successful party while avoiding potential citations by local law enforcement, as well as how to read and understand party-related guidelines in rental contracts. Maher said many leases through BDC Management include a clause that prohibits parties with kegs, and many students do not realize that they could get in trouble for violating that rule.

“[At the course] they’ll learn what’s on their leases, what the laws are, if their leases allow kegs, what they can get arrested for – things all tenants should know,” Maher said. “I actually sat in on a mock training; the information that is provided is really great.”

The I.V. Foot Patrol (IVFP) will provide information at the class about what the IVFP does to regulate house parties, and how to avoid breaking the law when throwing a party, IVFP Lt. Sol Linver said.

“We’re going to be there to help out in the legal aspect,” Linver said.” We’re going to help with the actual training and the assessment of what students can and can’t do.”

The program aims to educate all local students, but there is an emphasis on reaching first-time renters in order to inform them of the limits and legal issues that come with leasing or renting in I.V., Maher said.

“We’re sending out a mass mailing to all of the dorms at UCSB and we’re including a copy of the course flier in all of [BDC’s] application packets,” Maher said. “It includes a listing of our available properties, as well as a flier for the party hosting class with course meeting dates.”

Maher said the three companies participating in the program will give extra consideration to people who take the class.

“It will definitely help in the application process,” Maher said. “We will look on applicants who take or plan to take the class more highly than those that don’t put in the extra effort. We know that applicants who take the class are trying to be more responsible tenants.”

Completion of the course does not guarantee that the management companies involved will accept a student’s application, Maher said, but it could be a deciding factor if there is more than one applicant for the same residence.

“Not that there’s a priority of preference,” Maher said. “But we would rather take applicants who we know are willing to learn about the limits of their lease and about how to prevent citations.”

Kyle Hart, a third-year dramatic art major, currently looking for housing in I.V., said he is excited about the program.

“That sounds awesome, that could definitely help out a lot of students that get screwed over stuff they don’t even know about,” Hart said. “Where do I sign up?”

For more information about the program, including a schedule of classes, contact Ryan Walkow at (805) 968-7010.