Dear Supporters of UVS and Maguire Village,

We invite you to join a sign-waving protest event to save Maguire Village and UVS this Saturday, October 22, 2022 from 5:00-6:00pm at the corner of Hull Road and SW 34th St., next to the big UF entrance sign.  If we get more coverage of this and other events, we can protect this affordable and wonderful housing option for generations to come!

In case you missed it, Maguire/UVS have been in the news recently, first with a story entitled: "UF acquires new grad housing, but rent maybe too high for affordable living."  The title speaks for itself -- UF cannot claim that Varsity House or the Continuum are "replacements" for Maguire/UVS, simply because the location is off-campus, the rent is hundreds of dollars more, and the amenities are nowhere near as nice for graduate student families.  That article states: "UF's purchase of the apartment complexes is being funded through the issuance of $185.5 million in bonds."

If UF has that much money available, why can't they use a fraction of it to renovate and save Maguire/UVS?  That would be the much better option, both economically, and for what the students actually want.  UF's own numbers say it should cost at most $35 million to fully renovate the 44 buildings that make up Maguire/UVS, but we believe the actual number to be much lower since most of the buildings are in good shape, and we are not asking for fancy, just livable, housing.

Second, a nice Op-Ed signed by several graduate student representative organizations was published this week in the Gainesville Sun.  Please check it out, as it explains how the plan to close Maguire/UVS goes against every one of UF's Core Values.

Thanks for your support, and hope to see you at the sign-waving tomorrow!