Site work on Weyburn Terrace housing, the new apartments
specifically designed to meet the needs of UCLA graduate students,
is underway.
While UCLA has eight buildings bordering the core campus to
house undergraduate students, it has none within walking distance
for graduate students. The new graduate houses were planned to
remedy this issue.
Although a number of campuses have some type of graduate student
housing, the Weyburn Terrace housing project, which will be
completed fall quarter of 2004, is the first of its kind within the
University of California.
“We think when we’re finished, it will be the best
of its kind in the country,” said Michael Foraker, director
of housing at UCLA.
The project plans for seven buildings with a total of 840
apartments and 1387 bed spaces. Each of the buildings will also
include an interior courtyard, study room and laundry room.
The housing complexes will consist of three types of housing:
two-story, two-bedroom, two bathroom townhouses; two-bedroom,
two-bathroom apartments; and studio apartments.
“Our intention is to give each student a bedroom and a
bathroom. In survey work, we found privacy to be very important to
students,” Foraker said.
As well as being designed for privacy, the Weyburn Terrace
houses are also specifically targeted for single graduate
students.
“I think it’s a great idea. The current housing for
singles is not as good as those for married couples. There’s
such a huge wait list for graduate housing, and the mere fact that
they’re adding one would be a great help,” said Martin
Calles, a first-year MBA student.
Hard-to-recruit students from outside of California are
concerned about where they will live, the proximity of the housing
to campus, and the quality and availability transportation, Foraker
said.
“The graduate houses will help UCLA tremendously in its
endeavor to recruit the best students in the country and in the
world,” he said.
Current students have also agreed that graduate housing
sponsored by UCLA would be an asset.
“I had trouble looking for housing. It would have been
more convenient if all I had to do was go through the school to get
it,” said Christina Liu, a second-year law student.
To further attract students, rents will be below market price,
although the actual prices have not been set yet, Foraker said.
The graduate houses will also provide parking under each
building complex. Shuttle service from the apartments to the core
of campus will be available for students without cars.
“It sounds great. It’s cheaper and provides
transportation. Especially for students who have a lot activities
on campus, the close proximity would be great,” said Tarik
Benbahmed, a first-year African studies student.
Weyburn Terrace housing will also provide live-in apartment
coordinators, who, like the residents, are single graduate
students.
Like the resident advisors in the dorms, the apartment
coordinators will get to know the residents and help them get
acclimated, arrange social events, and provide a wide array of
services for the tenants, Foraker said.
“The houses will allow students to live in a supportive
environment. It will provide them with a sense of belonging, a
sense of community,” Foraker said.
The graduate houses were also designed to help with academic
retention. Students will be able to settle into activities of
academia, he said.
Weyburn Terrace housing will be built on what is currently
southwest campus. It is bordered by Veteran on the west, Weyburn on
the south, and the Strathmore Regency apartments on the north.
While site work began two months ago, construction on the
buildings will not begin until December.