April 2008 | UC Notes Home

Spotlight on Housing

With the goal of improving quality of life for students and communities across the state, the University of California is

busy searching for ways to be more eco-friendly. In fact, "green" living has become a central focus in the planning and development of student dining and housing facilities across UC.

In an attempt to curb paper waste, reusable mugs are distributed to all residents at UC Davis for use in all dining facilities and retail outlets on campus. Davis also purchases local produce whenever possible, buying from California farmers 90 percent of the time.

At UC Irvine, being caught "green handed" is a good thing, as UCI Dining has helped spread the word about the waste-reducing benefits of students selecting only those food items they will actually consume at mealtime. "Think Green and Take Only What You Need" was its slogan last fall.

Student residence halls have also become a place where sustainable living practices are learned and implemented.

UC Merced has established Green Hall, a student housing facility dedicated to individual and group ecological responsibility. One major effort of Green Hall is to educate residents so that they may "go out and serve as an additional educating force around campus and in the community," said Leslie Santos, director of Housing and Residence Life at UC Merced.

Students at UC Berkeley have embraced a similar green housing option, the Global Environmental Theme House, which is co-sponsored by the College of Natural Resources.

Sustainable living and dining practices vary from campus to campus, as do general housing options. Below is a roundup of University housing by campus. Prospective students interested in learning more or participating in a specific program should visit each campus's housing and/or dining website for more detailed information.

Berkeley

Phone: (510) 642-4108
reshall@berkeley.edu
www.housing.berkeley.edu

At UC Berkeley, students can choose from an array of living options, including high-rises, shared suites and apartments, single-gender or coed halls, and theme housing.

The campus now accommodates more students than ever, with room configurations that include mini-suites with two or three shared bedrooms and a bath. The rooms are spacious, with Ethernet connections and cable TV. Common areas include workout rooms, study and computer rooms, classrooms and meeting spaces (most with wireless access); on-site academic centers offer tutoring and advising.

Fairly priced rental units near campus are still in great demand. The Cal Rentals Office provides rental listings and assists students looking for housing.

:: Fall 2007: UC Berkeley opened the academic year with 95 percent of new freshmen and 32 percent of new transfer students living in University housing. Students admitted as fall freshmen enjoy a two-year housing guarantee, and those admitted in spring are guaranteed housing for their second year. New transfer students are guaranteed one year of housing.

:: Future Plans: The campus plans to open 324 new West Village family student apartments in summer 2008 at Albany's University Village. The campus will offer the one-, two- and three-bedroom units, situated around courtyards with open greenways, community gardens and a playground, to partnered and married couples.

Davis

Phone: (530) 752-2033
studenthousing@ucdavis.edu
housing.ucdavis.edu

UC Davis offers three residence hall living areas, two parklike apartment complexes for continuing students, four privatized campus apartment complexes and several group-living communities. Dining facilities in each residence hall area offer "destination dining," with a variety of food-preparation stations featuring specialties such as Asian-inspired cuisine, grill items and a dessert bar. UC Davis campus housing is characterized by convenient access to classes and labs, abundant open space, trees and lawns.

Incoming freshmen who meet all campus and Student Housing deadlines are guaranteed housing in one of three residence hall living areas: Segundo, Tercero or Cuarto. All provide cable TV, high-speed Internet, academic advising and computer centers, laundry facilities, community lounges, kitchenettes, recreation space and live-in staff. Most freshmen opt for double-occupancy accommodations in suites or rooms off a main hallway. Davis has a bike-friendly campus and community.

UC Davis offers many campus housing options to continuing undergraduate, graduate and professional students, ranging from cooperative housing to privately managed apartment complexes, such as Primero Grove and the Colleges.

The Colleges offers its residents an integrated living-learning community while other campus apartment complexes, such as the Parks at UC Davis, offer one- and two-bedroom apartments in a peaceful, family-friendly setting.

:: Fall 2007 UC Davis Student Housing accommodated 4,616 freshmen and transfer students.

:: Future Plans UC Davis is moving forward with planning and development of Tercero South residence halls, phase II. This 600-bed residence hall is part of the three-phase Tercero South residence hall complex. Completion of phase II is expected by fall 2010; phase I was completed in September 2005.

Irvine

Phone: (949) 824-7247
housing@uci.edu
www.housing.uci.edu

UC Irvine recently opened new resident housing communities, Vista del Campo and Vista del Campo Norte, adding 1,309 spaces for continuing undergraduates and 255 graduate students. These two communities on the east campus feature one- to four-bedroom furnished apartments with many modern amenities.

Additional housing options include Arroyo Vista, Campus Village Apartments, Middle Earth and Mesa Court. Arroyo Vista is home to academic theme houses for continuing students, and is an on-campus hub of activity for fraternities and sororities. Campus Village Apartments offer independent living with community study rooms, a computer lab, a community center and a fitness room. The Middle Earth and Mesa Court freshman residence hall communities offer comprehensive residential-life programs, a wide range of student resources, honors housing and other special-interest programs.

:: Fall 2007: UCI provided housing for 1,916 freshmen in Mesa Court and 1,678 freshmen in Middle Earth. Arroyo Vista housed 348 freshmen and 588 continuing students. Campus Village housed 90 freshmen, 216 transfer students and 466 continuing students. Vista del Campo and Vista del Campo Norte provided housing for 1,204 and 1,309 undergraduate students, respectively.

:: Future plans: UCI will continue to guarantee housing to freshmen and new transfer students who are single, under the age of 25 and who enroll for fall quarter. For deadlines and details, please visit the housing website.

Los Angeles

Phone: (310) 825-4271
hao@ha.ucla.edu
housing.ucla.edu

Traditional high-rise residence halls, residential suites and residential plaza buildings are offered to single undergraduate students at UCLA. The plaza buildings feature air-conditioning and units with shared or private bathrooms.

All new freshmen who meet application deadlines are guaranteed University housing for three years, and new transfer students are guaranteed one year.

In addition, UCLA offers the University Apartments, within walking distance of campus, and the Hilgard Houses, former sorority houses that provide 99 spaces for entering transfer students. Each includes a social lounge, a small computer lab, a study lounge and a TV room.

:: Fall 2007 All freshmen and transfer students who met housing application deadlines were accommodated. A total of 4,309 freshmen were housed on campus, representing 92.4 percent of the freshman class. A total of 1,363 new transfer students (37.9 percent) were assigned to on-campus housing, University Apartments or the Hilgard Houses.

:: Future Plans The renovation of Sproul Hall, one of the campus's four high-rise residences, is scheduled to be completed in May 2008. The campus is putting in new wall coverings, carpets and lighting, among other updates to the building. Rieber Hall will be the second residence hall to be renovated, a project that will begin in 2008. Rieber Hall will receive updating much like Sproul Hall's; it is scheduled to reopen in spring 2010.

Merced

Phone: (209) 228-4663 (CAT-HOME)
housing@ucmerced.edu
housing.ucmerced.edu

UC Merced guarantees housing to incoming freshmen and transfer students who meet the stated deadlines (May 4 for freshmen and June 4 for transfer students).

Valley Terraces are apartment-style suites that include a common living room, double bedrooms and shared bathrooms for four to six students. Full-time residential-life staff members provide a safe and supportive living environment with many resources available to students.

The Terrace Center offers residents top-tier amenities such as sophisticated laundry facilities with an Internet notification system; a study lounge; a computer room and the Den, where residents can relax, study and socialize. Special events take place in the Terrace Center's California Room and in the new Joseph Edward Gallo Recreation and Wellness Center.

The first phase of the Sierra Terraces opened to freshmen in fall 2007. This two-story residence hall offers community living with two students to a bedroom. Each two-bedroom suite has a private bathroom.

:: Fall 2007 UC Merced accommodated all freshmen and transfer students who met housing application deadlines.

:: Future Plans The next phase of the Sierra Terraces is scheduled to open this fall, and an expansion to the Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center is under way.

Riverside

Phone: (951) 827-6350
housinginfo@ucr.edu
www.housing.ucr.edu

More than 3,000 students—predominantly new freshmen—live in UC Riverside's three coeducational on-campus residence halls in both double- and triple-occupancy rooms.Residence hall amenities include cable television, high-speed data connectivity, air-conditioning/heating, study lounges, laundry facilities, computer labs, residential restaurants and an academic resource center. The student staff plans more than 250 programs and activities each year.

For continuing students, UCR offers five on-campus apartment communities, in addition to the residence halls. Canyon Crest Family Student Housing is available for students with children. Abundant off-campus housing lies within walking distance of campus and is accessible by free shuttle.

As part of UCR Housing's Host Program, prospective UCR students may spend the night in a residence hall or campus apartment with a student host, who they may also accompany to classes and to campus and housing activities.

:: Fall 2007 UC Riverside accommodated all freshmen and transfer students who met housing deadlines. With the addition of approximately 500 beds at the new Glen Mor Student Apartments and more than 400 beds at the newly purchased Falkirk Student Apartments, UC Riverside now houses a record number of 5,300 students.

:: Future Plans New family student housing with child care is scheduled to open by fall 2010.

San Diego

Phone: (858) 534-4010
housinginfo@ucsd.edu
hds.ucsd.edu

Undergraduates at UC San Diego may live in residence halls or apartments. Eight to 12 students live in single-sex suites and share a study/living room and bathroom. Most buildings are coed. Each residence hall has a lounge and is located near laundry facilities and student activities. Housekeeping has just completed a conversion to "green" cleaning products, which makes for a healthier environment.

There are dining facilities throughout the campus: Two are open until 11 p.m. for late-night cravings. Canyon Vista is getting a green kitchen certification, and Sierra Summit has started a composting/sustainability project.

:: Fall 2007 UC San Diego guarantees two years of housing to fall freshmen who meet all application deadlines; 98 percent live on campus. The Off-Campus Housing Office (offcampushousing.ucsd.edu) has area maps, listings of nearby rentals, roommate matching boards and tips for commuter students.

:: Future Plans The UC San Diego North Campus Housing project, which began with groundbreaking ceremonies this spring, is scheduled to begin welcoming students in winter 2010 and will house 1,000 transfer students. In addition, UCSD continues to renovate the living areas in all its undergraduate colleges with improved lighting, updated plumbing and fixtures, and eco-friendly flooring.

Santa Barbara

Phone: (805) 893-2760
contracts@housing.ucsb.edu
www.housing.ucsb.edu

A total of 6,300 students are housed in UC Santa Barbara's eight residence halls and five apartment complexes. All rooms have high-speed wireless Internet access. Some complexes have fitness centers, and four have swimming pools. Two private, off-campus residence halls house approximately 450 students.

UCSB freshmen and transfer students are guaranteed one year of University-owned housing. The Community Housing Office provides online rental listings for other students, most of whom live in the surrounding communities.

:: Fall 2007 UCSB found space in residence halls for all first-year students who applied on time. Most first-year students and all honors students and Regents Scholars received their preferred housing choice.

:: Future Plans The San Clemente Villages, set to open in fall 2008, will add 972 spaces for graduate students.

Santa Cruz

Phone: (831) 459-2394
housing@ucsc.edu
housing.ucsc.edu

UC Santa Cruz offers many University housing options for students. Undergraduate housing, for the most part, is associated with its 10 residential colleges, including college residence halls and apartments—both with access to common dining facilities.

In addition to the 10 colleges, continuing and transfer students are also eligible to live at the Village, University Inn and University Town Center (UTC). The Village provides meal-plan-optional single rooms. At the Inn, which is located off campus, students can enjoy the amenities of hotel living, including private bathrooms and housekeeping service. The UTC, located in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz, offers studio apartments amidst all that downtown has to offer, including cafés, restaurants, shops, galleries and movie theaters. The campus also offers housing for families and graduate students.

Students interested in living independently in the off-campus community can access listings of available rentals through the UCSC Community Rentals Office. Additional services include tenant/landlord advising and rental agreements and other forms.

:: Fall 2007 The campus was able to accommodate all freshmen and transfer students who applied on time. UC Santa Cruz dining facilities have been certified "green" by the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program for leading-edge conservation and sustainability efforts.

:: Future Plans UC Santa Cruz will continue to offer a two-year housing guarantee in fall 2008 to incoming single students—both freshmen and transfer students—who meet application deadlines.

also in this issue:

Mind Over Material: Students Needn't Wait Until Graduate School to Engage in Research
Doorways Update Submission Site Opens
Analytical Writing Placement Examination to be Held May 10
Summer Sessions Offer a Chance to Explore
Spotlight on Housing ns