GSA proposes changes to graduate housing policy

Here's the proposal. You can review the raw data of the graduate and profession student experience survey on the GSA website: http://gsa.ucsd.edu

Graduate Student Association Supplementary Report on
Graduate and Professional Student Experience Survey
May 30, 2007

In light of the Graduate and Professional Student Experience Survey (GPSES) and subsequent committee report, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) submits the following recommendations for improving Graduate and Professional Student (GPS) satisfaction at UCSD. According to the GPSES Executive Summary, “over two-thirds of graduate and professional students are satisfied with their academic experience at UCSD, and nearly two-thirds would again choose to attend UCSD”, while “less than two-fifths find the social experience satisfactory and less than one-third find the cultural experience so”. Further, “only about one-third feel a sense of belonging at UCSD, and fewer than one-third find sufficient opportunities for involvement on campus”. Most disturbingly, “only 10% of graduate and professional students feel a connection to the campus community, and nearly two-thirds (64%) do not feel a connection”.

As active members in the GPS community, we are acutely aware of the availability of social and cultural activities for GPS, as well as the difficulty of recruiting participants and attendees for those activities. We feel that the issue is not a lack of programming or activities for GPS, but rather structural problems with UCSD policies that lead to a lifestyle disconnected from the campus community. Some of these problems are similar to those experienced by undergraduates at UCSD. However, many present unique challenges that require independent solutions for the GPS community.

In their report the GPSES committee identifies several areas of critical importance (among them community, housing, and communications) and both short and long term actions that can be taken to improve GPS satisfaction at UCSD. Most of the recommendations in their report are for high level structural changes within the culture and policies of the UCSD administration. Further, they identify in the appendices many concrete actions that can be taken in a variety of areas. The GSA feels that the issues identified in this report are very important, and many of the structural and cultural changes should be implemented.

In order to provide further guidance from the GPSES and committee report, GSA has identified concrete actions that we believe would, if implemented, significantly improve the GPS community in the next five years. To facilitate accountability and clarity, we have separated our recommendations according to the campus unit responsible and have provided the most desirable five year implementation of our goals. The administration should implement these recommendations using whatever administrative
mechanism they see fit.

Affiliated Housing

The GSA identified the lack of an inclusive residential community affiliated with UCSD as the most pressing issue restricting the development of a GPS community. Current housing policy emphasizes minimizing vacancies, providing housing preference
for senior GPS students and those with families, and funding each housing project on an individual basis with little cross subsidization. While these priorities are well intentioned, they have led to an inequitable situation that is particularly difficult for
incoming GPS.

The GSA recognizes the residential housing community, particularly for incoming graduate students, as vital for a GPS connection to campus. Current housing policies give preference to senior GPS and families, those with the least need to build external
connections to other GPS. Conversely incoming students are forced to find housing in the San Diego area, frequently without knowledge of the area or friends that can become roommates. Due to high housing costs and limited availability of housing near UCSD, these first year students often live far from campus with roommates that may not even be part of the UCSD community. The long commute prohibits engagement in campus activities that frequently occur at night. As a result GPS engage the UCSD community
only within their department. In the housing communities standard at most campuses, as well as for UCSD undergraduates, community develops organically within first year housing, particularly within the first few months of arriving at UCSD.

In order to improve community for UCSD GPS we suggest that Affiliated Housing implement the following policy by the end of the next five years:
• Immediately Affiliated Housing will be required to make it’s budget comprehensible and available to any graduate student that requests it
• All reasonable measures shall be taken to cut costs at Affiliated Housing such that housing opportunities can be expanded while maintaining below market rents
• All newly admitted graduate and professional students shall be guaranteed housing in their first year of study.
• In order to minimize vacancy, students are assigned leases that last one year starting in stages during the summer, and are required to complete the full length of their lease or provide a qualified sublessor.
— Students completing their degree do not need to find a qualified sublessor.
— Affiliated Housing will identify an eligible candidate who will then sign a
prorated lease that terminates the following summer.
• Every year those students that have been in Affiliated Housing the longest are not
allowed to renew their lease to make space for incoming students.
— Students that have been in Affiliated Housing for the same amount of time
are selected by merit
— Masters degree candidates are guaranteed one year of housing.
— A doctoral candidate student can choose to take a leave of absence from
housing, returning at any following year such that their number of years in
housing does not exceed the standard amount of time
• Housing is priced according to desirability, such that the demand for each housing
complex available is equal (market pricing).
— Housing should be provided for as many GPS as possible so long as oncampus
housing remains the most affordable housing in UTC
— New housing is built with floor plans with the highest demand
• The North Mesa complex is assigned as priority to family housing.
— Preferential placement in family housing is provided to single graduate
parents, followed by international couples with children, domestic couples
with children, international couples without children, domestic couples
without children
— Any remaining spaces are allotted to single graduate students on one year
leases
— Family students are exempt from the time requirements for other students
— All one bedrooms and studios are reserved for graduate couples
• North Mesa will retain current policies regarding quiet hours and alcohol
• All other units will have later quiet hours and will allow alcohol in common
spaces within reason
• GPS will be allowed to change roommates among students with remaining
eligibility without penalty
• Improve community spaces in Affiliated Housing, including but not limited to;
— Installing UCSD wireless access throughout existing complexes.
— Improving comfort in community rooms and adding more general
recreation options, such as installation of ping-pong tables or foosball
tables in several community rooms.
— Increase outside seating/gathering areas.
• First non-exec GSA rep to reply with comments to Doug gets a free dinner!
In order to implement these policies with a minimum of difficulty and the least
inequity for both current residents and incoming GPS we recommend the following
transition plan during the next five years:
• Commitments that UCSD has made to families and students granted housing on
preference programs shall be honored regardless of other policy changes
— These students must be grandfathered into any new proposal
• Rates should change at 10% a year (increasing for more desirable housing,
decreasing or remaining constant for less desirable housing) until demand for
each type of housing is equalized
• Beginning in stages in the summer leases will be of a one year length
• Current residents and those on the waitlist shall be limited to four additional years
of housing from the implementation of this policy
— Families and SHIP/SHORE students that were promised housing for their
entire stay will be exempt such that those promises are honored
• Incoming students shall be limited to three years in campus housing

• Families that apply for housing after this date are placed on the waitlist for North
Mesa, which is restricted to family housing
• New housing units should be planned in proximity to current housing at Mesa to
increase capacity by several hundred more beds
• Until the waitlist is eliminated the dates on the waitlist shall be locked such that a
student does not lose their place on the waitlist once they are accepted into
housing
• New entrants to the recruitment programs (SHORE) shall be limited to the same
term (two years) as other residents

These recommendations, implemented over a period of five years, would significantly
increase community, equitability, and availability of housing for all GPS at UCSD.