Humboldt college students battle to search out housing – The Lumberjack

by Morgan Hancock

 In August of yearly, a brand new batch of scholars fills the dorms, flats, and houses in Arcata neighborhoods. Overbearing mother and father pilot SUVs in a line across the block on check-in day. College students scramble by way of Craigslist listings seeking a last-minute alternative. It’s no secret there’s a housing scarcity in Arcata, however the brand new polytechnic designation will improve demand. Cal Poly Humboldt expects to double in enrollment within the subsequent six years. There are plans to construct infrastructure, however they gained’t be obtainable till 2025 on the earliest. Throughout this in-between interval, the varsity will present “bridge” housing. Steven Onge, a consultant of Housing and Residence Life, defined the plan to master-lease close by motels to deal with college students within the meantime. 

“We’ve been working with it for over a yr [and] we’ve developed relationships with a number of resort homeowners and property managers,” Onge mentioned. “This property was good. There’s a pool there, and laundry is included, so we predict the situation was good, and the facilities are good.”

This tutorial yr, the Consolation Inn will home nearly 98 college students with facilities like maid service and free continental breakfast. Residence Life is doing their greatest to make it a real faculty dorm expertise with group dinners. College students can take the bus to campus in about 10 min. 

“We’ve received some merchandising machines which could have recent meals in them, and we’ll do weekly neighborhood dinners and occasions to help college students,” Onge mentioned. “I’m hoping to get a meals truck that we are able to use.” 

College students nonetheless aren’t satisfied. Kirby Marks, a nonbinary scholar, was made to decide on between staying in male or feminine dorms when the gender-neutral dorms had been unavailable of their constructing.

“I needed to name them, and I used to be like, ‘I’ve no selections. There isn’t any housing for me to select from. I will be unable to reside on campus. What’s going to occur?” Marks mentioned. “So I needed to change my gender marker to male in order that I may really get into housing.”

Alternatives for housing off campus are few and much between. Senior Humboldt scholar Zack Gamble says the excessive demand for housing allowed landlords to benefit from college students. 

“It’s too simple to be a foul landlord out right here,” Gamble mentioned. “You don’t have the chance to show down a spot since you won’t get one other one for a number of months.You need to take what you will get irrespective of how run-down decrepit it’s.” 

Since shifting to Humboldt, Gamble has skilled his justifiable share of shakey Humboldt housing, from dry rot-ridden homes that shift with each earthquake to out-of-code heaters that require DIY upkeep. Gamble thinks the varsity ought to look critically at how the polytechnic designation will impression housing. 

“You’ll be able to’t improve your scholar base yearly however have nowhere to place them,” Gamble mentioned.