Students deserve home sweet home

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in
Chief  Timothy Kudo

Managing Editor
 Michael Falcone

Viewpoint Editor
 Cuauhtemoc Ortega

Staff Representatives
 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao
 Kelly Rayburn

Editorial Board Assistants
 Maegan Carberry
 Edward Chiao

  Unsigned editorials represent a majority opinion of
the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. All other columns, letters and
artwork represent the opinions of their authors.   All
submitted material must bear the author’s name, address, telephone
number, registration number, or affiliation with UCLA. Names will
not be withheld except in extreme cases.   The Bruin
complies with the Communication Board’s policy prohibiting the
publication of articles that perpetuate derogatory cultural or
ethnic stereotypes.   When multiple authors submit
material, some names may be kept on file rather than published with
the material. The Bruin reserves the right to edit submitted
material and to determine its placement in the paper. All
submissions become the property of The Bruin. The Communications
Board has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints
against any of its publications. For a copy of the complete
procedure, contact the Publications office at 118 Kerckhoff Hall.
Daily Bruin 118 Kerckhoff Hall 308 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA
90024 (310) 825-9898

Every student who has ventured off the hill to live in an
apartment knows the hassles of being a student renter. Building
managers and landlords take advantage of student ignorance and
provide mediocre service for extremely high costs. Fortunately for
both veteran and future inhabitants of Westwood and other
surrounding communities, the Undergraduate Students Association
Council has stepped in to help educate and assist students with
Monday’s “Quality of Life Housing Fair.”

The fair ““ and other USAC projects like lobbying the state
to assist with student housing payments ““ are exactly what
students need: education about their rights and how to protect
them. The greatest limitations for off-campus apartment-dwellers,
which includes virtually all upper-division undergraduates because
they are not guaranteed more than two years of on-campus housing,
are cost, quality and managerial treatment. Programs like the fair
and USAC’s lobbying efforts, including their encouraging of
the university to finance student housing, will help ensure that
students have more access to quality housing and that they can
afford it. USAC should continue making students aware of other
options, such as BruinGo!, so they don’t feel confined to
overpaying for an apartment close to campus.

Students who wish to see continued change in off-campus housing
should assist USAC in their effort by contacting state officials
and administrators, asking them to more rigorously advocate for,
and create change in off-campus housing.