Cal Poly implements sophomore housing requirement despite student opposition
This story, for republication or reference, was originally reported by Kiana Hunziker of Mustang News. Prior coverage:
Mustang News, October 2020: University Housing Takes Out Loan From The UU, Sparking Student Criticism
Mustang News, February 2020: Inconclusive Data Led To The Sophomore Housing Requirement
Mustang News, May 2015: Board Of Directors Resolution Outlines Arguments Against Mandatory Second-Year Housing
Mustang News, April 2015: Mandatory On-Campus Sophomore Housing Still On The Table, Sparks Push-Back From ASI
Mustang News, April 2015: 2-Year On-Campus Housing A Goal, But Won’t Be A Requirement, Officials Say
Mustang News, Jan 2014: Cal Poly Considering Requirement For All Freshmen, Sophomores To Live On Campus
Daily Aztec, March 2019: Initiative requiring non-local sophomores to live on campus attracts opposition through protest, petition
Daily Aztec, March 2020: Fraternity, sorority chapters struggle to fill houses in second year of Sophomore Success program
Starting this academic year, freshmen admitted in fall 2020 to two Cal Poly colleges will be required to live on campus for their sophomore year.
Freshmen enrolled in the College of Architecture & Environmental Design (CAED) and College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences (CAFES) will be required to live in the Poly Canyon Village (PCV) and Cerro Vista apartments their second year. In fall 2021, freshmen from the College of Engineering (CENG) will also be required to live on campus their second year, and the remaining colleges will be phased in within the next three years.
CAED and CAFES were chosen as the first to implement the requirement by their respective deans, and most CAED sophomores were already living on campus, according to University Housing spokesperson Nona Matthews.
The requirement aligns with the university’s goal to house 65% of students on campus by 2035, as outlined in the Campus Master Plan.
Exceptions will be made in certain circumstances, such as if a student has a disability or already permanently lives in San Luis Obispo County. According to the exemption policy, reasons due to financial hardship will be considered in “extreme circumstances and after financial aid options have been exhausted.”
Due to COVID-19, freshmen who had virtual classes were able to defer their housing contracts and live at home. However, those who did not live on campus this academic year will likely be required to do so their second year, as the California State University (CSU) Chancellor anticipates more in-person classes in the fall.
University Housing has continued to back the requirement with the findings of a university study observing student retention rates that were presented to the Academic Senate in 2020.
“The academic success of our students is a significant focus for Cal Poly, and this plays a central role in our decision to expand our on-campus housing policy to both first and second-year students,” Matthews wrote in an email to Mustang News.
The study shows that across all colleges, students who live on campus their sophomore year have a retention rate that is 2% higher than students who live off-campus their sophomore year.
The most impact was seen in the CAED, which saw a 5.6% increase, and the least was observed in the Orfalea College of Business (OCOB), with a 0.5% increase.
However, as the study was observational, it does not prove a cause and effect relationship between living on campus a second year and improved retention rates.
“You cannot reasonably conclude that students who are required to live on campus two years are more likely to move into their third year,” statistics professor Steve Rein said.
“YOU CANNOT REASONABLY CONCLUDE THAT STUDENTS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO LIVE ON CAMPUS TWO YEARS ARE MORE LIKELY TO MOVE INTO THEIR THIRD YEAR.”
Rein said he believes University Housing had good intentions in conducting the study. However, he said he does not believe that the study sufficiently supports the conclusions drawn from it, as many variables such as wealth or whether a student’s parents graduated from college did not seem to have been included in the analysis presented.
Only three other CSUs in the 23-campus system — San Diego State, CSU Monterey Bay and Cal Maritime — have a sophomore housing requirement. However, both San Diego State and CSU Monterey Bay have suspended their requirement this year due to the COVID-19. Despite the pandemic, Cal Poly has used 57.4% of its housing capacity this year to house 4,500 students on campus — significantly more students than any other CSU.
“[Covid-19] has been devastating financially for University Housing,” executive director of University Housing Jo Campbell said in an ASI meeting on Feb 22. “We borrowed money from the University Union reserves and also completely wiped out all of our reserves, so we have no ‘savings account,’ if you will.”
Financial data obtained by Mustang News shows Housing has been making less money than anticipated, and sometimes losing more money than they make for the past six years.
Additionally, Housing’s beginning fund balance, or the amount of money Housing has available, has decreased dramatically during this time.
University Housing is still paying off debt from the construction of new apartments and the yakʔitʸutʸu residence halls, according to university spokesperson Matt Lazier. When the pandemic struck, University Housing refunded $20 million in spring quarter housing fees when many students returned home. The circumstances resulted in University Housing ending the fiscal year in 2020 with a deficit of $3.9 million.
To counter the deficit, University Housing took out a controversial no-interest $7.9 million loan from the University Union, with the remaining $4 million proposed to restore Fremont Hall.
To offset the financial blow from the pandemic, University Housing has increased fees for the 2021-2022 academic year by 6% for residence halls and 9% for apartments.
The Inter Housing Council (IHC), a student representative board for residential matters, voted in favor of the increase. However, the ultimate decision was up to University President Jeffrey Armstrong, according to Campbell.
When asked if fees would be lowered once University Housing’s budget recovers from the pandemic, Campbell said she does not anticipate the cost of fees will go down but said she does anticipate that the “percentage of rate increase will stabilize at a lower level.”
Students have expressed concerns about the affordability of living on campus under the requirement when cheaper living options are available off-campus.
For the 2021-2022 academic year, a double-bedroom apartment on campus costs $11,421 for nine months. However, off-campus, students would only have to pay $5,346 to rent at The SLO Student Living and $6,480 at Valencia Apartments for nine months. Valencia Apartments also offers “good student discounts” which reward students for high GPAs and can amount to savings of $1,200. Most off-campus leases are 12 months instead of nine, but some students choose to sublease their rooms over the summer months to save money.
According to a Mustang News poll, out of 900 respondents, 80% do not support a sophomore housing requirement. Both the ASI Board of Directors and the Academic Senate have opposed the requirement.
“The ASI Board, elected board members who represent students, are very, very opposed to this. We have huge, huge grievances with this,” previous ASI Board Chair and political science senior Rob Moore said at an Academic Senate meeting in 2020.
“THE ASI BOARD, ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS WHO REPRESENT STUDENTS, ARE VERY, VERY OPPOSED TO THIS. WE HAVE HUGE, HUGE GRIEVANCES WITH THIS.”
Campbell said the university will be expanding the housing grants offered for low-income students.
Additionally, Campbell said there is an exemption committee that students may appeal to be excused from the requirement. Appeals are approved on a case-by-case basis. Out of the 181 cases the committee has received so far, 62 have been approved and 32 have been denied, with the remaining still pending.
Cal Poly has been found to be the least racially diverse CSU in the system, with about 54% of students identifying as white in 2017. Cal Poly is also one of the richest universities in California in terms of parental incomes, with a median income of $152,900 for the class of 2013, and about 67% of students coming from families within the top 20%.
When asked by a student if the requirement was at odds with improving diversity and inclusion, Campbell replied that student body diversity has been slowly increasing each year.
However, this trend was observed years before the requirement was in effect, and it is unclear whether it will continue.