Life on the Hill is proving to be extra cozy this fall, as
residential housing occupancy has reached its highest since
UCLA’s establishment in 1919.
Both new and returning students have felt the increase in
population, and their reactions have been mixed ““ students
said while they enjoy the Hill’s bustling energy, they have
also faced inconveniences due to the congestion.
“Living on campus has been really fun,” said Aahoo
Mozaffari, a second-year psychology student. “I feel like
there’s a lot of things going on. The more people here, the
more vibrant the campus is.”
Eric Cain, a first-year political science student, said he feels
the experience of living on campus with a large number of students
is worth the problems that come with the crowding.
“I love (living on campus). I like that everyone lives in
the same setting ““ you don’t have to go far to visit a
friend,” Cain said. “I like how there’s always
planned activities to do. You can’t do everything, so you
have to pick and choose.”
But Mozaffari, who is living in a triple in Rieber Vista, said
she wishes she had more of her own private space. Her situation is
not unusual for residents of the Hill this fall, as Housing
Services has more than doubled the number of triple-occupancy rooms
from last year.
With 9,113 students currently living on campus, as opposed to
8,423 last fall, Housing chose to raise the number of triple rooms
to 1,746 this year from 832 in fall 2005 in order to match the
increased demand for housing space.
“I think living on campus is crowded to the extent that
some of the rooms aren’t built for three people, and I live
in a triple. Everyone in my room has a bed, closet, desk and their
own space, but I would prefer to live in a double,” Cain
said.
Part of the reason for this increase in triple occupancy is the
loss of Sproul Hall due to renovation. Despite the opening of
Rieber Terrace, the Hill faced a net loss of 277 beds this
year.
But for the most part, Housing Services has not faced any
significant problems due to the overflow, said Frank Montana,
manager for community housing and outreach at Housing Services.
“The only major congestion spot used to be the dining
halls, but now that we have facilities (such as Rendezvous and
Bruin Café), many students can get their food and go,”
Montana said.
David Liu, a first-year undeclared student, said the dining
halls sometimes get crowded enough to discourage him and his
friends from eating.
“There’s usually a long line for food, but it goes
fast. When (my friends and I) pick a place to eat, if we see a long
line, we usually go somewhere else,” Liu said.
Cain said he appreciates the convenience and closeness of the
dining halls, which makes it easy for him to pick a less-crowded
place to eat.
“You have to come at a time that’s not rush hour.
But since the dining halls are so close by, if one is crowded, you
can easily just go to another,” Cain said.
But some students said they have felt the effects of the
congestion on the Hill, especially when trying to switch rooms.
Mozaffari tried to switch through the Housing Office into a
university apartment, but was turned away because of full
occupancy.
“I really wanted to live in a (university) apartment so I
can have my own space and kitchen, but (the Housing Office)
basically said they’re not doing any transfers at all this
quarter because it’s too crowded,” Mozaffari said.
Mei Mei Yang, a second-year undeclared student, also tried to
transfer out of her room due to financial reasons, but was told
that on-campus housing had reached 100 percent occupancy.
“I called (Housing Services) no less than 10 times over
the summer, trying to explain my situation,” Yang said.
“They gave a quick answer every time ““ housing is sold
out for the year and there’s nothing they can do.”
This is the first year UCLA has offered on-campus housing to
returning fourth-years and second-year transfers, which led to
overbooking, Montana said.
In order to avoid this type of bind in the future, Montana said
Housing Services will not offer fourth-year returning students and
second-year transfer students the opportunity to live on
campus.