Bill aims to fund more student housing

By Jamie Hsiung
Daily Bruin Reporter

Due to the lack of affordable housing on campus, fourth-year UC
Berkeley student Jimmy Bryant, known among friends as “the
couch surfer,” has an apartment in another city. But when
he’s studying late on campus and misses the last train back
to Oakland, Calif., he’ll crash at a friend’s
place.

“I have to carry a suitcase around because the train
doesn’t come at 2 a.m.,” said Bryant, who hasn’t
returned to his apartment in a month.

But situations like Bryant’s could be avoided if
California voters pass Senate Bill 1227, a new measure that would
give $15 million to the UC and California State University systems
to build more student housing.

The measure will be used to fulfill the high demand for housing,
resulting in decreased rent prices, said Paul Mitchell, chief
consultant of the assembly higher education committee.

This is the first time the state has secured general money for
housing, according to Josh Fryday, the creator of the measure from
UC Berkeley and the external affairs vice president for the
Associated Students of California.

“This is a historical moment,” Fryday said.
“It’s a victory for Berkeley students, for UCLA
students, for students in the state.”

The UC has not decided if it will endorse the proposal, said UC
spokesman Chuck Mcfadden.

“The UC recognizes the housing challenge,” McFadden
said. “The UC and the task force are all eager to ease that
housing challenge.”

If the bond is approved in November, the UC and CSU will need to
apply for the money on a first-come, first-served basis. They will
then need to match the money provided by the state.

Because there is a two-year limit to claim the money, schools
interested in receiving funds must decide soon. Funds that
aren’t claimed will be returned to the bond.

On-campus housing would get first priority and housing within a
one-mile radius would get second priority, said Kenneth Burch,
chair of the University of California Students Association.

The UCSA has been working with the legislature to make them
aware of the housing problems.

“We’ve seen people renting couches, four-people
living in doubles and in rooms never designed to house
people,” Burch said.

Student housing has only recently become an issue, said
Mitchell, who provided input for the measure.

“Student housing wasn’t a priority back in the days.
It was considered a luxury, and the state didn’t think it
would affect education,” Mitchell said. “But now the
concept of housing has changed.”

Though, the measure won’t solve all the problems with
housing costs, Fryday believes it is an important first step.

“It’s not a monetary impact but a shift in state
feeling among legislatures to alleviate the housing crisis,”
he said.