Morning classes, exams and dining hall food can make student life less than an enjoyable experience. But it doesn’t have to suck all the time. There are many services on and off campus, even nationally, that make being a student pretty cool. Businesses in the Syracuse area offer discounts and freebees to students with an SUID, and the SU campus also boasts some pretty nice perks. You just have to know where to look.

Student Legal Services

Located on Ostrom Avenue, Student Legal Services can help students out of almost any jam, legally anyway. Headed by two attorneys, Gary Sommer and Chris Burke, this often overlooked program helps students with traffic violations, problems with leases, landlords and general consumer problems.

‘If a student gets a ticket for any kind of moving violation in Onondaga County, we’ll go to court with you,’ Sommer said.

They offer to represent students in court if there is a legal matter, from landlord lawsuits to unreturned security deposits for off-campus housing. While they cannot represent students in court outside the Onondaga County area, they can offer advice on any legal matter. The attorneys will also read students’ leases for off-campus housing to make sure the students understand everything before they sign the deal.

All their services are free of charge since they are covered by the student activity fee. For more information call Student Legal Services at (315) 443-4532.

Drumlins

Located on Nottingham Road, this country club offers free rounds of golf to all SU undergraduate students on the 18-hole West course, and tennis on one of seven indoor courts, with an ID. It also offers free club and racquet rentals along with free tennis clinics. The driving range and golf lessons are available for a small fee. Visit www.drumlins.com for information.

Steve Madden

This Carousel Mall store is quite generous to students. Any college student with an ID can receive 20 percent off any purchase, not including clearance items.

J. Crew

This high-class (and high-price) Carousel store offers a 10 percent discount on all items in the store to students with an ID.

The Art of Massage

This center for relaxation, located in Marshall Square Mall, understands the hectic lives of students. All students can receive $5 off a one-hour massage and $2 off a half-hour massage.

‘We’re your neighbors,’ said Ed Griffin, founder of The Art of Massage. ‘Students don’t necessarily have the income that other people have.’

He cited this as the reason for offering students a discounted price for their services. The Art of Massage is open seven days a week. Call (315) 475-9164 to make an appointment, or just walk right in.

Student Advantage Card

Yeah, it costs $20 to get one, but students can get that money back over and over again with this card. According to the company’s Web site, www.studentadvantage.com, students can receive discounts at over 20,000 locations including Barnes & Nobles.com, Target, Urban Outfitters, drugstore.com and Foot Locker, as well as reduced ticket prices from Greyhound and Amtrak.

Regal Cinema Movie Tickets

If students purchase their movie tickets ahead of time at the Schine Box Office, they will not have to pay such a ridiculous price when they get to the theater. Schine offers ‘blue’ tickets, which are for movies that have just been released, for $7, and ‘red’ tickets for movies that have been in theaters for 12 or more days for just $6.

International Student Identity Card

This card is a must for students going abroad or just planning a trip to Europe. Once again, its $20 price tag is nothing compared to all the money students can save with it. Accepted in more than 100 countries, it provides discounts on tickets, food and hotels. The card is also the only form of student identification fully accepted around the world. Go to www.istc.com to buy one.

Archbold Gym

Archbold Gym offers a number of free programs to students on campus.

n. Healthy Mondays

‘Healthy Mondays,’ which began last September, is a free program for students, offered on Monday afternoons at 3 p.m. Every week a different lesson is taught, such as yoga or Pilates. Mitchell Gartenberg, director of Recreational Services, said the program allows students to get in the habit of ‘starting the week off right.’

n. Late Night at the Gym

Archbold also offers its free late night at the gym program Wednesday through Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Students can participate in free classes such as salsa dancing, yoga and self-defense. Also, if students go on the right night they may receive free t-shirts or free fruit.

‘I think it’s one of those opportunities for people to orientate around healthy kinds of activities,’ Gartenberg said.

He said Late Night at the Gym allows students to meet new people, try new things and improve their skills.

Published on September 25, 2006 at 12:00 pm