Northwestern students are irate in the wake of an announcement that Evanston will begin enforcing its longstanding “brothel law,” a zoning ordinance which prevents more than three unrelated people from living together off campus.

The law, which will be enforced beginning July 1, poses a serious problem for the hundreds of students living in houses and apartments off campus. Assistant Dean of Students Betsi Burns told The Daily Northwestern Monday that students need to “think outside the box and go along the shuttle lines and the El to look outside this very small geographic area that students think they need to live in and explore their options.”

Outraged by the prospect of being forced to move farther off campus, more than 500 students yesterday packed the Norris University Center’s McCormick Auditorium to participate in a town hall meeting with Northwestern and Evanston officials.

Following the town hall, Burns and Dean of Students Burgwell Howard agreed to meet with city officials to further discuss the law.

While some off-campus students are facing the harsh reality of imminent eviction, others say they have been saved by a loophole in the system: certain off-campus houses are technically divided into separate apartments that hold a maximum of three occupants and thus avoid penalization under the “brothel law.”

Check the Chronicle for more updates on the controversial “Brothel Law.”

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