Demanding Administrative Support for Non-Traditional and Student-Parent Housing at UC Riverside 

Recently, the Associated Students of UCR’s Senate unanimously passed a senate resolution that demands administrative support for non-traditional student housing needs. This resolution comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is showing the sheer amount of inequity and divide pertaining to family housing on campus. With Canyon Crest Family Housing being recently demolished to make way for the new North District, the only official student housing on UC Riverside’s campus is Oban Family Housing. Currently, Oban has a waiting list for housing standing at more than one year, and they have also explicitly stated that they will not be taking extenuating circumstances or hardships into account when deciding who will get housing. 

This news, as well as UCR’s lack of housing support for non-traditional students and student-parents, comes at a time when rates of student-parents attending undergraduate institutions are increasing each year, and about 26% of all college students--which amounts to about 4.8 million students total--raise children whilst attending school, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Another study done in 2019 by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania found that out of 23,000 student-parents responding to their survey, 68% were housing insecure in the previous year and 17% were homeless in the previous year. This is all in unison with the fact that rent in Riverside County increased by almost 7% during the peak pandemic months of January to October 2020 only, and it will likely continue to increase over time. Coupled with the economic and housing insecurities that student-parents are having to face, it is imperative that UCR administration addresses the impact of these factors and takes action to assist student-parents and non-traditional students.

The aforementioned ASUCR Senate resolution, which was passed on January 27th, demands not only that UCR administration works with student-parent groups on campus to address these needs, but also secure the Falkirk Apartments on UCR’s campus to primarily serve non-traditional students and student-parents. The rates for Falkirk are significantly lower than those of other privately-owned apartment complexes near UC Riverside, which can go as high as $1,903 per month according to data directly compiled by UCR Housing Services. This will be an especially accessible option as the new North District at UCR will offer 6,500 new student housing beds starting as soon as Fall 2021, making room for Falkirk to be turned into additional family housing. 

As students of UC Riverside, we must stand in solidarity with the non-traditional and student-parent communities on campus, including transfer students, those who have previously faced incarceration, student veterans, and more. Through signing and sharing this petition, we hope to raise awareness about the inequities faced by non-traditional and student-parent groups on campus and show campus administration that students who aren’t a part of these groups have a strong will to advocate for them as well. We are calling upon UC Riverside’s Chancellor Kim Wilcox, Vice-Chancellor of Budget and Planning Gerry Bomotti, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Jennifer Lynn Brown, Director of Residential Life Dr. Christine Bender, and Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs Brian Haynes to meet with the Student-Parent Ad Hoc committee on campus in order to address the needs of student-parent and nontraditional groups and secure Falkirk housing as a priority for them. Highlander support for this would be extremely valuable and help show the administration that these needs are serious and must be addressed as soon as possible. As an incredibly diverse campus that prides itself on being the number one university in the country for social mobility, addressing the needs of underrepresented groups should be a top priority, and support from the rest of the student body will be a key factor in causing the changes that we demand.