Housing construction fosters future benefits

“These fences suck,” said Jonah Trotz, a second-year political science student, referring to the large green barriers lining De Neve Drive. Along with thousands of other dorm residents, Trotz deals with the seemingly never-ending repairs, renovation and expansion on the UCLA campus.

As many are well aware, UCLA Housing has embarked on a massive four-year process of building four additional residence halls on the Hill. On-campus residents know because construction starts at 7 a.m. and continues long through the day. But before we start whining, let’s look into the goals of this project to determine if the outcome validates the trouble. After learning about the potential results, I’m convinced you’ll agree that despite the inconvenience and eyesore, these construction projects are worthwhile.

The construction has a very understandable purpose behind it. Pete Angelis, assistant vice chancellor of Housing and Hospitality Services, said the main goal of the project is to help create a more tightly knit community at UCLA.

“Part of our mission at Housing and Hospitality Services is to help UCLA continue to evolve from a commuter to a residential campus. Ten to 15 years ago, only one-third of all undergraduates lived within walking distance from campus. Currently, 56 percent do. Once we’re done with the construction, a full two-thirds of undergraduates will live adjacent to campus,” Angelis said.

Certainly, construction is an investment for the future. This specific project is worth the trouble because of the advantages it will give to future students.

Juliana Hardy, a third-year linguistics and Spanish student, spoke about commuting versus living by campus.

“I tried twice, unsuccessfully, to get on-campus housing. So this year I just moved to Westwood Village. Cutting out 10-15 hours of commute time has greatly increased my ability to connect with friends, hold an on-campus job with greater ease and improve my grades. I was barely doing two classes (a quarter) last year. Now I’m thinking about taking four,” Hardy said.

Living on campus has tons of benefits. Many of the top private universities in the nation require all undergraduates to live on campus. Not only can Hardy double up on her class load, she can also make more money ““ and still have leftover time. A concentrated community of college students helps foster academic success and student retention through greater engagement in campus life. Stanford University, for example, requires every single first-year and new transfer student to live on campus.

Dennis J. Galligani, the associate vice president for Student Academic Services at the University of California, said at a UC committee meeting that because demand for student housing is so high, there’s no need to force all undergraduates to live on campus. What we need is more beds. Currently, UCLA offers guaranteed housing for the first three years. The aim of installing an additional 1,500 beds is to expand the guarantee to four years. Private universities know the benefits of students living in a close community, and UCLA could gain much by learning from their example. If we plan to reap those same benefits, we first need the available housing.

Looking around campus, it’s easy to see the magnificence that has resulted from previous Bruins sacrificing their convenience for the future. The Ronald Reagan Medical Center, which opened only two years ago, is a prime example of a marvelous product resulting from years of hard work and limited access. No one was complaining about the construction then because it didn’t affect most students. Similarly, current on-campus residents should suppress their grumbles for the hope of lasting improvements for the future. Progress is something this university stands for, and this construction project puts us on a winning track. There’s never a good time for completely uprooting much of the Hill, so there’s no reason to not start now.

Our campus has come a long way from the four original buildings that made up the school. Though it’s tough to see the immediate benefits of construction, especially amid the racket and closed streets, it would be nice if students were a bit more keen on the long-term advantages we’ll all share by progressing structurally.

Students should respect the decision of UCLA officials to continue with this huge construction project. Just as you’re thankful for the sacrifices previous Bruins made, future UCLA students will thank you for the plentiful on-campus opportunities they will enjoy.

If you’re willing to bear the burden for progress, e-mail Pearring at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].