Julia McCarthy: Students should be made aware of campus legal services

Imagine finding out, on top of dealing with the stresses of classes, midterms and work, you were also facing eviction.

Kelsey Tokunaga, a fourth-year sociology student, doesn’t need to imagine it – it actually happened to her. Earlier this quarter, unbeknownst to Tokunaga and her four roommates, she found out that the apartment she and her roommates were renting in Westwood had been foreclosed, and they were suddenly all facing eviction.

Unsure of what to do, Tokunaga and her roommates reached out to the owner of their building, who recommended they seek the help of UCLA Student Legal Services, an office they did not know existed. Tokunaga said that the legal services office ended up being incredibly helpful, equipping her and her roommates with information about their rights as tenants and connecting them to a reasonably priced attorney who could help them fight their eviction.

Elizabeth Kemper, director of UCLA Student Legal Services, noted that landlord-tenant issues are the single largest area her office deals with, making up about 30 percent of its caseload. Kemper’s office is skilled and experienced in helping students with the exact issues Tokunaga and her roommates found themselves dealing with.

The Student Legal Services office can also be useful to students like myself, who, while not facing eviction, feel like I could somehow be signing away my life and first child when signing my legal-jargon-filled lease.

The attorneys who work at the Student Legal Services office can provide an experienced and helpful second set of eyes to those signing leases, something many students will be dealing with in the upcoming weeks when attempting to secure apartments for the coming school year.

While much of the responsibility in seeking these resources falls on the shoulder of students themselves, other campus entities, such as the Undergraduate Students Association Council Internal Vice President’s office, should play an active role in creating awareness about the affordable legal services available to current UCLA students.

This quarter, the IVP office has put on several programming events, such as the “Know Your Rights Workshop,” in which students could meet with Kemper and ask her specific questions about legal issues they may be dealing with, to make students aware of resources available through the Students Legal Services office. Additionally, Kemper was able to answer students’ questions at the Off-Campus Living Fair, also hosted by the IVP office.

These types of events create critical exposure for the Student Legal Services office, allowing students to become aware of the resources we have right on our campus, and empowering students to use these resources to help ameliorate problems they may be dealing with when it comes to renting in Westwood.

With further coordination between the IVP office and organizations such as UCLA Residential Life and the On-Campus Housing Council, information about Student Legal Services can reach a wider audience of students, all of whom can benefit from increased awareness about their rights and resources.

And expansion of programming to the Hill is already being discussed by Sabrina Zeigler, the IVP’s chief of staff. Zeigler notes that in the future, the IVP office wants to partner with OCHC to host a “Know Your Rights Workshop Night” specifically geared toward first- and second-year students living in the dorms who are planning on moving to apartments in Westwood.

Additionally, UCLA Residential Life or OCHC should work to provide students who choose not to renew their housing contracts on the Hill with information about the Student Legal Services Office. An email or pamphlet sent out to students who don’t renew their UCLA Housing contracts, outlining the ways in which the Student Legal Services office can be useful to students when apartment hunting, is a tangible resource.

Living in an apartment is often a harsh wake-up call for students who had spent a few blissful years living in the UCLA dorms. Issues such as conflicts with landlords are unfortunate realities. But Student Legal Services, with an initial consultation cost of just $10 for any enrolled UCLA student, can help Bruins navigate these crummy circumstances.

Better publicizing for the Student Legal Services office can help students like Tokunaga be aware of their legal resources. When facing less-than-ideal housing situations, Bruins should know about the affordable and conveniently located legal help they have access to.

With winter quarter wrapping up, the pressure to sign a lease for next year is on many UCLA students’ minds. Students, in their search for the perfect Westwood crib, should be proactive in seeking out resources available to them through the Student Legal Services office.