“˜Access’ must include affordable housing

Okamura serves as the external vice president for USAC.

By Evan Okamura

When your Undergraduate Student Association Council had their
retreat this summer, we collectively sat down and discussed what
areas we wanted to address in order to improve the lives of our
fellow students. Together, we came up with “Access to
Education” as our over-arching theme. One of the three
subpoints was providing direct services to students and to advocate
on behalf of the concerns of the student body.

Housing has been a constant concern, especially in light of
Tidal Wave II ““ which is expected to bring 4,000 more
students into UCLA in the next 10 years. It is one of the main
foci of this year’s council, as it directly relates to access
to education.

The astronomical cost of apartments in Westwood has driven many
students farther away from campus to reside in less proximate areas
like Palms or Santa Monica. Living far away proves to be a
huge inconvenience to students, especially due to the large number
of students who don’t receive parking permits. This
results in more time spent commuting and being late due to bus
schedules and traffic.

Internal vice president Kennisha Austin, myself, and our
respective staffs are running a housing campaign to address
many concerns that have not previously been successfully
addressed. There are four main goals of our housing
program.

1. To increase the affordability of housing.

2. Improving the quality of housing.

3. Promote student rights.

4. Ensure that the student voice is a part of the
process.

Currently, housing is classified by the UC system as an
auxiliary, or self-supporting service. As such, the university
is not responsible for helping to construct, maintain, or assist
Westwood housing complexes in any way. We seek to change the
classification of housing from auxiliary to university supported,
where the university would be required to take part in the
fiduciary aspects mentioned above. We have already begun
working with the UC Regents, statewide legislators, and the UCLA
administration, since we know that these bodies have the power to
make our goal a reality.

Ever wondered why the price of a two bedroom, two bath apartment
in Westwood can increase from $1500 to $2500 (67 percent!) in only
one year? The answer is the absence of rent control. Rent
control is a policy in many surrounding cities, such as Brentwood,
that sets a limit (in percentage) of how much the housing price for
a type of room (i.e. one bed, one bath) can increase from one year
to the next. Rent control is a policy that can be very
beneficial to UCLA students, as it prevents owners from exploiting
students who must live close to campus at any cost.

The EVP and IVP task force is compiling a database of rent
control policies in surrounding areas, as well as those around
other campuses, such as UC Berkeley. After compiling our
database, we will draft a proposal for Westwood that will be
submitted to the city’s council.

In addition, we are closely following the progress of AB 1611,
which provides private higher education institutions within the
state an additional means to expand, enlarge and establish
dormitory, academic and related facilities. The bill also helps
such institutions finance those facilities and refinance existing
facilities. It also provides private and public higher education
institutions within the state an additional means to assist
students in financing their costs of attendance.

This bill was signed into law by Gov. Davis and
will provide $24 million in assistance to UCs and CSUs. This
much-needed money could definitely help improve the quality of
housing. The details of the allocation are currently
being worked out, but the EVP Office and the
University of California Students Association are ensuring student
input is included in the discussion.

In terms of promoting student rights, on February 25, the EVP
and IVP task force will be holding a housing summit in Westwood
Plaza. Here, we will be bringing in tenant rights groups,
representatives from affordable and proximate housing buildings,
and will provide informational brochures that will aid in
“the apartment search.”

The brochure, which is still being drafted, will provide tips
for things to be cautious of when looking for an apartment, as well
as the legal implications of signing into a contract.

These are just some of the things we are working on in regards
to off-campus housing. However, we are missing one vital
ingredient: you, the students! We invite your voices in
participation and hope you will contribute to this important
effort.