By Arj Arjunan
Daily Bruin Contributor
The Undergraduate Students Association Council, which has
criticized the UC Regents housing task force for responding slowly
and ignoring important issues, is concerned with plans for housing
developments in areas away from UCLA.
The task force, which is in “information gathering
mode,” is expected to submit a report and recommendation on
student housing at the next regents meeting, said Charles McFadden,
a spokesperson for the UC Office of the President.
The task force was assigned by the regents in March to examine
the current state of student housing and methods for providing
affordable housing in response to the influx of 60,000 students
from Tidal Wave II. It has considered using state funds, though the
issue is still on the table, McFadden said.
According to internal vice president Kennisha Austin, the task
force does not regularly hear from undergraduate students, though
it should work with USAC so students can directly resolve the
issue.
The university should abandon its classification of student
housing as self-supporting and allocate state funds to subsidize
student housing costs ““ as it does for student educational
fees ““ to ease the financial burden students bear, she
said.
McFadden, who attends housing task force meetings, said its
members incorporate student concerns through two student
representatives.
It also receives input from information sessions with students,
he said, citing the force’s visit to UC Riverside to look at
on and off-campus housing and a presentation the task force heard
regarding graduate student housing at UCLA.
A survey produced by USAC and the Graduate Students Association
earlier this year showed that 53 percent of those surveyed pay more
that $650 per month for one-bedroom apartments, which is the fair
market rent in L.A. County, according to USAC external vice
president Evan Okamura.
The housing task force should quickly address rising cost of
student housing because it will prevent some potential UC students
from enrolling, Okamura said.
He praised Assembly Bill 1611, which Gov. Gray Davis recently
signed that will give students more housing options, but expressed
concern with plans to build more affordable student housing further
away from campus.
The bill provides loans for non-profit developers constructing
more affordable housing within five miles or a 30-minute ride by
public transportation to campus. Longer commutes for students
seeking lower rents will adversely impact their academic life,
Okamura said.
University of California Student Association chair Kenny Burch,
whose organization played a critical role in the passage of the
bill, said the saturated property near UC campuses will push
student housing developments away from universities. Longer
commutes and higher transportation costs diminish the benefit of
lower rent, he said.
Burch cautioned against the idea that the bill provides a full
solution to the student housing crunch.
“It’s extremely difficult to make a significant
impact on housing,” he said. “It will take two or three
years to even get a project going.”