Marketing to parents on a college property

Surfing the blogosphere today I came across an interesting story on NAA's blog. It is titled College Enrollment Is Up, But Is Student Housing?

The post talks about the countercylical nature of community colleges during a down economy. Basically, 4 year institutions have seen a plateau, or enrollment stagnation, while commuter schools and community colleges have seen a drastic increase in enrollment. The reason is that many people view the slow job market as a time to further education.

The problem this poses for the Multifamily Housing Industry is that the majority of community college students live at home with Mom and Dad. That is almost 3.5 million students who are living at home.

Maybe the secret is to market to the parents. I'm sure that Mom and Dad dream of those empty nest days, and they would love to get their kids out of the house. Rather then flyering the local community college, how about sending a direct mailer to the student's home and have it addressed to their parents? Have the post card talk about how economical by-the-bed leasing can be, and how for just 400$/month they can get their kids out of the house.