College student lists dorm room on Airbnb, faces consequences from university

Airbnbs provide comfortable and interesting home away from homes for many people around the world.

For travelers, it's an alternative to pricey and mundane hotels, and for those that offer their spaces for others to rent, it's a good source of income.

One college student in New England decided to try his luck at the rental business by posting his college dorm room on the site.

Jack Worth, a 19-year-old student at Emerson College, wrote in the listing's description that his dwelling offered "a private, single-bedroom unit with sweeping views of Boston Common, right in the heart of downtown."

Worth, who was fined $150 by Airbnb for violating rules and now faces a disciplinary hearing by the educational institution on "several charges of misconduct," has started a petition to support himself and "his honest, entrepreneurial endeavor."

"There is nothing criminal with providing cheap housing to travelers," Worth's colleague, Ari Howorth, wrote on the petition's page." Jack Worth gave travelers from far and wide a taste of Boston life and the Emerson experience simply because he wanted to help those who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to stay in the downtown area. If the Emerson community is as inclusive as it claims to be, it should act it."

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 400 people had signed the petition.

KIRO