LUANNE DINGLASAN USAC Academic Affairs Commissioner
Bryant Tan and IVP Kennisha
Austin listen as Greg Hom, a fourth-year
environmental studies student, and Mitra
Ebadolahi, a fourth-year international developmental
studies and history student, speak at the housing forum,
Wednesday.
By Rachel Makabi and Robert
Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff
The university’s graduate and undergraduate student
governments met with a state assemblyman during a forum in Westwood
Plaza Thursday to address grievances with student housing.
The event is the first step in an ongoing effort by the
University of California Students Association to increase the
amount of affordable housing available to students in the
system.
“We want to let the public and legislation know that we
have a problem,” said Alex Arteagea, director of legislative
affairs for UCSA. UCSA is a systemwide organization comprised of
student government representatives from each of the UC
campuses.
Evan Okamura, the external vice president of the Undergraduate
Students Association Council and the liaison between USAC and UCSA,
said housing problems deprive students of an adequate study
environment.
“This is an issue of access to education,” Okamura
said.
State Assemblyman Carl Washington, D-Compton, who visited the
campus to tour the on-campus housing facilities, told Okamura and
Alain Dang, the vice president-external of the Graduate Students
Association, that he would take student housing issues back to the
state assembly when it resumes session in January.
Before the meeting, Okamura and Dang conducted a survey of about
200 undergraduate and graduate students, asking them about their
housing situations.
According to the survey, two-thirds of those polled pay more
than 50 percent of their monthly income toward housing.
Okamura cited the 2000 UC Housing Occupancy Report, which found
that UCLA is at 115 percent capacity in the residence halls. The
university is over its maximum capacity by housing 7,415 students
in facilities meant to accommodate 6,239 people.
Jack Gibbons, associate director of the Office of Residential
Life, said the university is aware of the lack of affordable
housing and is planning to build more residence halls for graduates
and undergraduates to accommodate 5,000 additional students by
2009.
Third-year transfer student Jarrod Chamber, who spoke at the
forum, said to the small crowd that he was bounced from residence
hall to residence hall this year because no facility was ready to
house him.
“I’m really mad because when I signed the contract,
I did not agree to all this,” said Chambers, who is living in
a study lounge with other students. He said that if given
sufficient notice he would have sought off-campus housing.
Gibbons said students living in study lounges received a
specific contract at the end of August that enumerated their
situation.
According to Gibbons, a little over 200 students are currently
living in residence hall study lounges.
Washington, who chairs the Assembly Public Safety Committee,
said the exposed power cords and ethernet cables in the converted
lounges pose as possible tripping and fire hazards.
Because the study lounges are not equipped with enough outlets
and ethernet ports to accommodate up to six residents, extension
cords run across the floors to external outlets.
“Safety is the first and foremost issue,” Washington
said.
Gibbons said a university fire marshal reviewed the study
lounges and did not find any violations.
Washington said this is the first time the problems have been
brought to his attention since he was elected to the legislature in
1996.
Some legislative work to improve college housing conditions is
already underway. UCSA is pushing for Gov. Gray Davis’
signing of Assembly Bill 1611, which would allow non-profit
organizations to sell bonds to build student, faculty and staff
housing.
“With the types of resources (the university) has
available, it’s unbelievable that students have to go through
this,” Washington said.
“Something has to be done.”