Around 21 people attended Marquette Student Government’s first of two Good Tenant Training sessions on Saturday.

Good Tenant Training is a free seminar created to inform students about off-campus housing and making informed decisions about where to live, who to live with and how to be good neighbors.

The training included a variety of speakers, ranging from MUSG members to a Marquette Police Department officer, presenting information about property ownership, leases and personal safety. There was a bystander intervention training program to emphasize the topic of personal safety.

“We want students to make comfortable and smart decisions with where their money is going,” said Priyanka Valliyil, MUSG administrative assistant and physical therapy graduate student. “We want to know that they feel comfortable with the place they live before and after (renting).”

The training comes after a trend of sophomores rushing to sign leases early in the fall semester a year before those leases begin.

MUPD’s Corporal Glenn Berrios-Schroeder talked about property safety and securing personal belongings. He explained Vacation House Watch, a program where MUPD monitors residences when students are on vacation.

“We do added patrols of houses,” Berrios-Schroeder said. “We know they’re empty, so if we drive around and see somebody moving around inside, we’re going to try to determine what’s going on.”

MUPD visits residence halls once or twice a year to make sure that no one leaves their doors cracked open when they’re not around. If a door is unlocked or open and no one is inside, an officer places a yellow door tag on the handle with a brief safety guide on the importance of keeping doors locked.

“I definitely liked the MUPD officer talking and telling us to call them whenever,” said Kerry Sherbin, a senior in the College of Health Sciences. “I thought that was pretty good information that not everybody knows.”

“There were things that I heard before, which was good to reinforce,” said Nico Olson-Studler, a senior in the College of Health Sciences. “We can spread that (information) on a one-by-one basis by word of mouth as students instead of everybody coming to a lecture.”

Incentives were offered for students to attend the training. Renee Row apartments offered $300 off security deposits, The Marq and Ivy on 14th apartments waived their security deposits and the Tristan Estates gave out Marquette Cash.

“It’s a good incentive to get your security deposit waived,” said Mikayla Landon, a sophomore in the College of Nursing.

The next information session will be held Oct. 10 and is open to all students.